The Wayward Daughter
by K.Lynx
Summary: There's no Adam Milligan. There's only Arielle Milligan-Winchester, and she's about to join the family.
1. Chapter 1

"Hello?" The voice sounded much younger than she expected, and she clenched her jaw for a second.

"I need to speak with John Winchester," she said, holding the phone up with her shoulder while wiping the sweat and dirt off her brow.

"He can't come to the phone. Can I help you?"

"No," she replied without a pause. "I need John. Tell him Arielle is calling."

"Well sorry to be the one to break this to you, lady, but John died more than two years ago," the voice said. The only change in her demeanor was the widening of her eyes. "Who is this?"

The girl stood as a nurse entered the room. Her gaze went to the bleeding slash on her arm. "I'm his daughter."

It wasn't hard to spot the two men in the restaurant. The tense postures easily gave them away. Approaching the table, she noted the silver cutlery and the strategically placed glass of water. Arielle took a seat, placing her backpack on the floor. "Dean, right?" she asked the dark-haired man.

She received a wide-eyed stare as the other cleared his throat. "Yes, and I'm Sam," he introduced himself as Arielle grabbed the glass of water. Both pair of eyes watched as she set it to her lips and took a big drink. Some of the strain on their shoulders melted off. "Uh, we- we worked with John for a long time."

"Mechanics, huh," she said with a slight nod, setting down the glass she knew was filled with holy water. "How'd he die?"

"On the job," Sam answered, slightly shifting in his seat.

"A car fell on him," Dean added. Arielle would've rolled her eyes had not Denise, the waitress, interrupted.

"Hey sweetie. How are you holding up?" she asked, her eyes full of worry. Arielle and Denise had grown up together, though neither considered themselves to be close friends. Now, though, with the look the other girl was giving her, many would've considered otherwise.

"The usual, please," Arielle said, giving her a waning smile. Denise placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, eying the boys warily before walking away.

Sam cleared his throat again. "So, when's the last time you saw John?" he asked after taking a sip of water from his own glass.

"Three years. After my 16th birthday," she answered, grabbing her own glass once again and taking a drink. "I didn't know who else to call. My mother is missing."

The younger brother blinked. "Really? I'm, I'm so sorry. For how long?"

"It's tragic, really," Dean interrupted, earning a glare from Sam. "But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?"

"My father didn't know I existed until I was twelve," Arielle stated flatly. "How come if you worked with John for such a long time, I've never heard of _you_?"

"Why would he speak about his job to you?" Dean asked, taken aback.

"I asked," she said, her tone impatient now. "Just how I asked mom about _him_. She never talked about my father and for my 12th birthday I told her the only thing I wanted was to know about him. Nothing else. That's how I knew she bandaged him up in '89. Hunting accident." She caught the knowing glance between them, but she continued as if she hadn't. "After she told me the story, I asked her to let me call him."

Denise came and placed a plate before Arielle, causing her to look away from the two men. "Here you go, hun. Let me know if you need anything else, 'kay?" Arielle nodded a thanks as she grabbed the napkin, purposely missing the cutlery set by the men. Even with the commotion in the restaurant, her keen ear picked up the cocking of a gun.

"Do you mind?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Please, dig in," Dean said, a fake smile on his face. Arielle reflected it before grabbing a salt shaker, pouring some on her hand then sprinkling it on her food. The features of the two men slackened a bit more.

"I remember his voice, the way it cracked when I told him who I was," she said, a ghost of a smile wanting to surface. Her fingers wrapped around the cutlery and she gave the knife a twirl along with aiming a smirk at Dean before starting in on her food. "He was on a job, but he dropped everything. He drove all night to see me."

A movement caught her eye, Dean shifting his right arm. The gun was put away and she felt a bit at ease herself now. "He tried swinging by, every other month. He called almost every weekend. He managed to be here when a senior asked me to the prom when I was a freshman," she said, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "Scared the hell out of Alex while I was getting him a drink, I'm sure. Idiot barely even managed to hold my hand that night. One night, he took me out to drive the Impala, and -"

Dean slammed a hand on the table. Arielle remained unfazed, placing a piece of broccoli in her mouth and chewing slowly. "Oh this is crap," he said. "You know what, you're lying." Arielle took the napkin and wiped her lips as Sam gave the curious spectator a reassuring smile.

"In some things, yes, but not what you think. John Winchester is my father. I lied about not knowing who you were, though. I know exactly who you are. I did my research. You're my half-brothers."

"Look, lady," Dean started again after a quick recovery. "I don't know if you're a hunter or what kind of game you're playing here."

"No game. And I'm not a professional hunter either. Even with the constant visits, dad only took me to three or four jobs, just to get the feel of the basics," Arielle corrected before taking another sip of water. She tapped her chin afterwards. "Oh. Right. I knew dad wasn't a mechanic. I forgot to clear that up."

"I'm out of here. Come on, Sam," Dean said through gritted teeth as he shoved his chair back. Setting her napkin beside her plate, the blonde caught Dean's gaze, her green eyes pinning him down before speaking.

"I can prove it."


	2. Chapter 2

Arielle studied Dean's features as he held the photo frame. Inside was a picture of John and her at a stadium. The girl held her finger up, smiling, while John had his arm around her shoulder. "He took you to a baseball game?" Dean finally asked. She gave a slight nod.

"Yes, I was fourteen. He was around for my birthdays until our fall out," she said as Sam flipped through their father's journal and she caught sight of strange symbols and images of monsters.

"April 23, 2003. 2004. 2005. 2006… All one word. 'Minnesota'. There's several scattered around with no specific dates," he said, more to himself and Dean. "How did we miss this? I mean, we go through this journal practically every day…"

"He took you to a freakin' baseball game?" Dean repeated in disbelief.

Arielle plucked the photo frame from his hands. She remembered that day. John had managed to find out her secret interest in baseball and surprised her with tickets to a game. "Yes. I have a thing for statistics and baseball is the perfect game for it. Dad just thought it would be fun." She set the frame down, running a hand across the glass. "What did dad do with you?" From the lack of response, she knew it was nothing like what John had done for her. "Look, forget it. None of my business. I just want to find my mom," she continued, pulling off her hoodie and tossing it on the back of a chair.

"What happened to your arm?" Sam asked suddenly. Arielle looked down, surprised at the sight of her wrapped arm. She'd forgotten all about it until now.

She skimmed her fingertips over the bandages. Blood had managed to dot the surface. "I was attacked last night. I don't know what it was, but it definitely was not human. Or animal, I'll clear that up right now. That's why I called dad." She scratched at her neck, her features darkening. "I told you he only took me to three or four jobs, mostly 'cause I tricked him into it. We dealt mostly with ghosts, spirits. The last hunt he ever took me on, though, was to kill a wendigo. It got… messy, to say the least. Dad refused me to take me on any hunts after that."

"How long has your mom been missing?" Sam asked, clearing away from the subject of their father all together.

"Three days," Arielle state, a thankful undertone directed at Sam. "Our neighbor, Mr. Abbinanti, saw her arrive here Tuesday night. She wasn't at work the next day."

Dean looked at another photograph, one of John and her mother Kate. "Did you call the police?" he asked and Arielle knew he noticed the resemblance between her mother and his own.

"Yes. Well, her supervisor did. They found nothing. No sign of a break-in even. They called me yesterday night. I came down as fast as I could and looked around myself, but…" she paused, carefully lifting a picture of herself and her mother. "I should've been here. She never knew about the things dad and I chased. I should've protected her." She could feel their eyes on her and setting the frame down, the sympathy oozing out of them, and she waved a hand for them to follow her.

"Her room?" Sam asked and she gave a curt nod as she led them down the hall. "Mind if I look in the other rooms?" she nodded again as Dean went into the main bedroom and moved the dresser, looking for abnormalities.

Arielle took a seat on the bed, resting her head in her hands. The drive, though short, had exhausted her. Not to mention, her late night scavenging in the house and around the desolate neighborhood wasn't any better. The creature had attacked when she was searching the garage and she had barely managed to escape with just the slash on her arm. "Only her nightstand was overturned," she mentioned suddenly, looking up and finding Dean intently staring at a picture of John, Kate and Arielle, her now irreparably broken family.

"Was there anything else?" he asked, slowly sweeping the room for any sign. She shook her head as Sam walked back into the room. "You talk to the cops?" Dean directed at his brother, looking up from the floor.

"Just like Arielle said, no leads," he sighed, and then waved some papers in the air. "Found this in Arielle's room, though. Sorry," he said to the blonde. She gave a slight shrug.

"S'fine. After last night's close encounter, I did some research. I thought maybe whatever dad was hunting, it had buddies," she explained, rubbing at her eyes. "Corpse snatching. Seventeen back in September 9, 1989. And before you ask, I was premature," she added, knowing they'd do the math and find it did not add up.

Sam pointed out something in a picture to Dean. Arielle saw the look of recognition. "All right, so he was hunting something," Dean agreed. "What?"

"No idea," Sam replied. "Those were the pages he ripped out of the journal."

"The grave robbers started up again about a month ago. Three gone," Arielle said as she placed her hands, palm up, on her thighs. "I figured it couldn't be related, since the numbers were way high when dad first came here."

"Actually, whatever it is, it seems to have stepped up its game, 'cause- " Sam cut off, lifting up a picture of a man. "Local bartender's missing. Joe Barton. I borrowed your computer by the way." She ignored him, studying the picture he held up.

"Did your mother know him?" Dean asked, glancing back at Arielle.

"No, I don't believe so," she said with a frown. Dean glanced at Sam then back at Arielle. She noticed his eyes suddenly narrow and she blinked. "What is it?"

The eldest brother stepped towards her. She stood, backing away from the bed as Dean dropped to a knee and lifted the edge of the comforter. Arielle saw the start of scratch marks. "Give me a hand with the mattress," he said and the blonde quickly tossed the pillows aside before helping him push the bed off the frame.

Arielle felt her stomach drop to see the scratch marks lengthen, leading directly to a vent. It was large enough to drag someone down into it. She turned and almost felt her jaw drop to see her half-brothers playing rock-paper-scissors.

Dean lost. "Every time," he said, frustrated as he waved his arms before placing them on his hips. Arielle scoffed and crossed her arms, biting her tongue as Dean went into the air duct. She heard him mutter, "Why didn't I pick paper?" as he crawled around the vent. It didn't take long for him to come back.

"I think you should call the cops," he said softly and pulled himself up. Arielle went pale, immediately understanding him.


	3. Chapter 3

Arielle focused on nothing but the road. She absentmindedly rubbed at her wrist, the weight of the handcuffs a phantom. She pushed away the images the police retrieved from the air vent. A pool of blood, skin, chips of bone. Her knuckles paled as her grip on the wheel tightened.

Turning sharply into the parking lot, she parked her car, her mother's last gift to her and jumped out, quickly taking the stairs two at a time. She pounded on the room's door, her heart thumping against her chest. Sam opened the door and Arielle walked in before he said a word. "What is it and how do we kill it?" she said as a greeting, her cold green eyes shifting between Dean and Sam.

"You're not getting involved," Dean said as he uncovered the shotgun and continued cleaning it out.

"Dean," Sam attempted.

"No. There's a reason why dad refused to take her on any more hunts," he said before his brother could continue.

Arielle walked straight up to him, her hands curled into fists. "I just got out of being interrogated. My house is a crime scene and I'm treated like a suspect, even though these people saw me grow up! For all I know, my mother is dead. And you two bail and expect me to wait patiently in the house that creature took my mother from? You either let me help or I'll do it on my own." Dean didn't look up once, but he set the shotgun aside, eyes focused on the bed. Her sharp eyes never left his form and she felt Sam shift behind her.

"We're not sure what took her or if she's even alive," the younger brother said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Dean, look, maybe- "

"Maybe what?" he said, looking up at his brother defiantly.

"She lost her mother," he said slowly but with emphasis. "Maybe we can understand what that feels like."

"Why do you think dad never told us about this kid, Sam?" he answered as he stood and grabbed the shotgun. "Why do you think he ripped out those pages?"

"Because- "

"Because he was protecting her!"

"Dad's dead, Dean," Sam retorted immediately.

"That doesn't matter! He didn't want Arielle to have our lives, okay? And we're gonna respect his wishes," he said with finality.

"I should have my own say in this," the blonde said, standing between the brothers.

"No," both Sam and Dean chorused. Before Arielle could respond, Dean scooped up his jacket and headed for the door. "Babysit the kid," he growled.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"I'm going out!" He slammed the door as he exited and it elicited a sigh from Sam. Arielle sat numbly on the bed, gingerly rubbing at her temples as her hair cascaded down to hide her face.

"Is he always like that?" she asked tensely.

The sound of Sam laughing caused her to raise her eyes to him in surprise. "Welcome to the family," he said and she gave him a small smile. "Here," he said suddenly, pulling out his gun and ejecting the clip. "I'm gonna teach you a few things."

Arielle took the gun, examining it and then turning her gaze back to Sam. "Dean said- "

"I know what Dean said," he cut off, his voice calm and a bitter smile on his face." And I know what it's like to want revenge."

* * *

Night crawled up on them as they sat in silence. Arielle practiced disassembling and reassembling the gun as Sam cleaned a shotgun. "Sammy, what killed dad?"

The nickname caught him off guard, but he ignored it. "Demon." She nodded in understanding.

"You killed it?"

"Dean killed it."

"So it's over for you," she said, placing the loaded clip of the gun back in place, satisfied with the secure click. She looked up to find Sam's eyes on her.

"It's never over," he said quietly. Before Arielle could keep questioning him, the lights started crackling. Arielle tensed and stood the moment Sam did. He crossed his lips with a finger and she gave a slight nod. His lips barely moved. "Stay here," he said under his breath as he stepped to the door and opened it, checking the surroundings.

Another noise came from Arielle's right and the siblings turned to it, weapon's raised. The noise came again and Sam stepped in front of Arielle. "It's in the vents," she whispered as she pointed towards the ceiling.

He aimed the shotgun and fired. "Go!" he commanded and they rushed out the door. Arielle felt Sam right before, bounding down the stairs as well until they got to the parking lot. "Where's your car?" Arielle pointed out her cherry '67 Firebird. Sam's raised eyebrow caught her eye and she cleared her throat.

"Graduation present. Mom let me pick it out," she said in a strained voice. He gave her a sympathetic look and raised a hand. She clutched at her keys momentarily before tossing them to her brother. She rounded the car to the passenger's side and waited as Sam fumbled with the keys. Just as he caught the right key and gave her a grin, Arielle watched him fall back suddenly.

"Sammy!" she yelled, jumping over the hood to find Sam gripping onto the door handle. The sound of a familiar engine reached her and headlights illuminated the pair as she grabbed Sam's arm and yanked. "Dean, help!" The eldest sibling came into view and got a hold of Sam's other arm, pulling him free.

Reaching for the gun she had tucked into the small of her back, Arielle dropped to know knee and squeezed off two rounds. She could've sworn she heard something, but nothing could be heard except the purr of the Impala. Dean picked up the keys and Sam's dropped shotgun, tapping her on the shoulder to get her to stand. He gave a low whistle as he took on the girl's ride. He ran his fingers over the roof and gave it a pat before getting into it and turning it on. The engine came to life and Arielle watched him back the car up.

The combined headlights of the Firebird and the Impala revealed a sewer gate, still half open. Arielle pointed the gun into the gaping hole, noticing blood around the edge. "You winged it," Dean said, an impressive undertone in his voice. "Did you get a look at it, Sam?" When Sam shook his head, Dean frowned, rubbing at his jaw. "What the hell is this thing?"

"Should we go after it?" Arielle asked, still aiming her gun at the sewer gate.

"No, no. In that maze? That thing's long gone," he said. Sam leaned against the hood of the Impala, taking a deep breath.

"All right, so, we don't know what it is, but we do know who it's going after," he started, pushing off the hood and joining his siblings around the sewer gate. "Joe Barton, Arielle's mom- "

"And now Arielle. It was under her car, just waiting for her," Dean said.

Sam gave off a frustrated sigh. "It set a trap, and I walked us right into it," he said, giving Arielle an apologetic look.

"It wasn't your fault, Sammy," Arielle assured him. She earned a strange glance from Dean before he cleared his throat.

"Doesn't matter," Dean said, getting Sam out of his own thoughts. "You're right – there's a pattern. Joe Barton was a cop. I'm pretty sure he helped Dad. So we've got him, Dad's girl, and his daughter."

"All the people dad knew in town," Sam noted, his eyes going back to Arielle. "At least now we know why it's back."

Arielle met his eyes. "It wants revenge."


	4. Chapter 4

Arielle lead them into the kitchen, Sam limping his way to the table where his duffle bag waited. "Grab your stuff. We'll hit the road," Dean stated to the blonde. Sam's hand froze over the duffel's strap while Arielle stopped as her foot hovered over the first step to the second floor.

Sam opened his mouth to protest. "We shouldn't leave," Arielle said, beating Sam to the punch. She turned away from the stairs and stepped back into the kitchen. "That thing is still out there."

"Yea, let's stay in the house your mom got ganked in. That's a great idea," Dean said, immediately regretting his word choice when the blonde's features darkened. "Arielle- " he started, taking a step towards her.

"Look here, brother of mine. I know she ain't you're mother. You could probably care a rat's ass about her. But, don't you dare, for one second, pretend you know for sure if my mother is alive or death," Arielle said through gritted teeth, her hands instantly turning into fists as she saw him come closer. Dean immediately stopped after taking note of that. "You don't know that at all."

"I'm sorry. I am. I didn't mean that," Dean said, rubbing at his eyes. "Look, we're gonna take you, drop you off at Bobby's, and then Sam and I will come back and finish what Dad started."

Sam finally pulled an ace bandage out of the duffel bag, stopping midway through opening it to look at Dean with disbelief. "How? We got no leads, no witnesses. And, well, we do have what this thing wants," he said, casting a quick glance towards Arielle.

Dean scoffed, placing his hands on his hips. "That's why you want to stay here?"

Sam gave an exasperated sigh. "Dean, this is the only chance we might have to catch this thing. And we'll be here to protect her."

"I'm saying this once and only once," Arielle interrupted, crossing her arms. Her green eyes switched between Dean and Sam. "I don't care what either of you think. You may be my brothers, but I sure ain't letting you be my keepers. And I ain't going anywhere. I either kill that thing and get my mom back or die trying."

"We can train her – get her ready. She's already a great shot," Sam added, starting to bandage up his bruised ankle as Dean paced the kitchen.

"She could die, Sam."

"We could all die, Dean," Sam reminded him with a pointed look. "Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge, on Dad, on us." Testing out his leg, he set it down with a satisfied look. "What if they find the kid instead and she's not ready?"

"I really wish you'd drop the kid thing," Arielle stated with an annoyed look. "First, I'm not completely defenseless if I managed to only come out with a slash after a late night date with a monster." Sam and Dean exchanged a look as she stepped up between the two men. "Second, you seem to forget I made the son of a bitch bleed back at the hotel."

Dean opened his mouth immediately, but when no response came out, he shut it again. He turned to Sam who only gave a smug grin in return. He gave an exasperated sigh, throwing his hands up as a sign of surrender.

* * *

The warmth of the day and the clear blue skies brought new life to Arielle. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the gun, relishing the weight of the weapon in her hand. Her face turned to the sun for a couple of seconds, enjoying the feel of it before she focused on the painted trespassing sign. She exhaled slowly and squeezed off three rounds, hitting inside the smallest circle Sam had drawn on a trespassing sign. A smirk spread over her features as she dropped Dean a wink and extended her hand out.

"Beginner's luck," the oldest Winchester muttered as he slapped a $20 into her open palm. "Happens."

"Maybe you should push my luck. You wanna go a second round?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's the farthest dad taught me to shoot from, but I mean, it's only fair I give you a chance to get your money back."

Sam stood against the Impala, enjoying the showdown between Dean and Arielle. He couldn't explain it, but it felt right having her along. She had dad's toughness; he saw it when she interacted with Dean. But there was another aspect. He couldn't quite say tenderness, but something along those lines. "Would you just admit she's good?" Sam finally joined in, pushing off the Impala to join them.

"Luck, man," Dean corrected as Arielle loaded the clip again. She rolled her eyes at him, slamming the clip back into place. "You know what? Try the shotgun."

The blonde gave a shrug and headed to the Impala's trunk, pulling out the sawed-off shotgun and heading back to the appointed shooting spot. "Double or nothing?" she asked, suddenly turning to Dean with an innocent look.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Double or nothing," he affirmed, standing beside her with arms crossed. She gave him a wide smile and turned to the marked target sign, shouldering the shotgun and taking careful aim.

"Double for me!" Arielle grinned after the gunshot echoed out into the field and the previous holes were disintegrated by the shotgun shell. She heard Dean groan beside her as she barely even moved from her stance when the recoil hit her.

Palm up, she gave her oldest brother another grin as two more $20s ended up in her hand. Crumpling them up, she stuffed them into her jean pocket with the bill from earlier. She rested the shotgun's barrel against her shoulder, hooking her thumb in her jean's loop. "I'm hungry. Let's get lunch. On me," she winked at the brothers as she went to place the weapons back where they belonged.

"Beginner's luck?" she heard Sam tease Dean. The oldest Winchester snarled before opening the door and sliding behind the driver's seat. Sam snickered. "Always a sore loser."


	5. Chapter 5

Lunch had been a whole new experience for Arielle. To any eye watching them during their meal, they would be nothing but a trio of siblings, laughing and teasing each other while enjoying home-style burgers. Even Dean managed to lighten up during the meal before their drive back to Arielle's home.

They made a pit-stop at the library before arriving at the house, and now Sam and Arielle sat with multiple books sprawled around the living room table while Dean sat on the recliner, drinking a beer. Arielle listened attentively, memorizing the details of the second hunting story Sam was sharing. "So then we lit it on fire," Sam finished as Arielle studied an image carefully.

The blonde took a swig from her own beer. "With a homemade flamethrower?" she asked afterwards, running a finger down the page before flipping it.

"Yea. They're easy to build. I'll show you," he said with a smile.

Arielle never had anyone teach her anything, aside from her father. Her mother was always busy with work at the hospital, so Arielle had grown up learning to be independent quickly. She read voraciously and kept to herself. While all the other town kids were out playing and, later on, going on dates, Arielle spent her time at home with her books and writing.

Being an only child wasn't as big a blessing as many of the other kids thought it to be. Her serious personality made many think she was a snob and consequently caused many of the town children to exclude her from events or outings. None ever really tried to befriend her.

It was a lonely life, and for a second, she felt a flash of anger against her father for not allowing her to meet her brothers earlier.

Shaking her head, she collected herself. "That's some job you got here."

"Being a hunter isn't a job, Arielle. It's life," he corrected as he flipped the book close. "You're pre-law. You got a boyfriend, friends?" The blonde shook her head, her cheeks slightly reddening from embarrasment. "Good. If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed." Arielle caught Dean shaking his head from the corner of her eye. "That's the price we pay. You cut 'em out, and you don't look back. There's only one thing you can count on. Family."

"Sam," Dean called out, causing the younger Winchester brother to break eye contact with the blonde to face him. "Can I talk to you?" Arielle rolled her eyes as the two went to the stairs. "What the hell was that?" she heard Dean start.

Sam remained impassive, arms crossed. "What?"

"'Hunting is life. You can't have connections'," Dean said then followed it with a scoff. "Dad gave you the exact same speech, remember?" he pointed out, angry. "It was just before you ditched us for Stanford. You hated dad for saying that stuff, and now you're quoting him?"

"Must I remind you I'm not 12 anymore, mommy and daddy?" Arielle interrupted sarcastically. "So he's quoting dad after bailing. Big deal. People change, Dean."

"And as it turns out, dad was right, "Sam added.

Dean gave him an incredulous look. "Since when?" he asked.

"Since always. Dean, when I look at her, you know what I see?" Sam asked.

The oldest sibling gave Arielle a look over, shifting his weight. "A normal kid."

"No. Meat," Sam corrected. "Because to the demons and monsters out there, that's all she is. I hated dad for a long time. I did," he admitted, shrugging a shoulder. "But now I think I understand. So we didn't have a dog and a white picket fence. So what? Dad did right by us. He taught us how to protect ourselves. Arielle deserves the same."

Dean shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Listen to yourself, man."

"You think I'm wrong?" Sam challenged.

"I think it's too late for us," he stated, Dean's green eyes going to Arielle now. "This is our life. This is who we are, okay? And it's fine. I accept that. But with you, you still have a chance. You can go to school You could be a lawyer."

"What makes Arielle so special?" Sam questioned.

"What, are you jealous of the ki- uh, of her?" Dean said, glancing again at Arielle.

"Are you?" the younger brother shot back. Dean stayed silent. "All this… it's not real. The dad Arielle knew – he wasn't real. The things out there in the shadows – they're real. The world is coming to an end. That's real. Everything else is just part of the crap people tell themselves to get through the day."

Dean shook his head again, turning away. Arielle noticed the frustration edging towards anger. "Dad didn't have a choice with us," he reaffirmed. "But with Arielle, he did. Arielle doesn't have to be cursed."

"I must be a Winchester already, because if this isn't a curse, I don't know what is," Arielle said, hesitating before stepping up to Dean and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I can handle myself, Dean. Haven't I proved that?"

"No," he stated forcefully, taking a step back and causing Arielle's hand to fall off him. "No, whatever's hunting you, I'm gonna find it first."

Sam rubbed at his eyes, giving an exasperated sigh. "You already looked everywhere, Dean."

Yanking his jacket from the back of a chair, he gave him a final look before heading to the door. "Well then I'll look again." He shut the door behind him and Arielle bit her lip to keep back from saying something she'd regret, eyes narrowed as she lost herself in the tirade in her thoughts.

Sam's hand on her shoulder quickly snapped her out of it. "You alright?"

"No," she answered flatly. "I'm tired of you both trying to fill in the father role. Neither of you are John. And even if he was here, he couldn't have stopped me from going after that monster. I am my own person and I make my own choices."

Grabbing a couple of books, she stuffed them into her backpack. "Where are you going?" Sam asked, his features immediately filling with worry. Arielle rolled her eyes.

"My room. Is that okay? Or should I call Dean and let you both continue fighting over where I spend every minute of my life?" Sam flushed as the blonde pushed past him and marched up the stairs, slamming the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Arielle came down the stairs quietly. Finding the living room empty, she walked around the halls and found salt lines at every window and door. The sounds of pounding came from upstairs and directed her to her mother's bedroom where she found Sam boarding up a vent on the ceiling.

Leaning against the door frame, she watched him silently. He finally caught sight of her and gave her a wiry smile. "I've closed off every other way into the house," he explained, stepping off the ladder. Nodding towards the vent on the floor, he continued. "If this thing's coming, it's coming through here."

A creak came from down the hall, the sound of a door opening. Arielle raised a brow, standing straight. "You were saying?" she said, heading to grab the gun from the night stand.

"Arielle?! Arielle!" The blonde froze at the familiar voice, slowly turning away from the weapon.

"Mom?" she half-whispered, taking a step towards the bedroom door. Sam's eyes widened.

"No," he said, trying to get the girl's attention.

"Mom!" Arielle called out, dashing towards the voice.

"Arielle!" Sam yelled, snatching up the shotgun and chambering a round as he gave chase. He found Arielle staring at her mother, eyes wet.

Her voice broke as she spoke. "Mom."

"Arielle, wait!" Sam commanded, his eyes on the woman before them.

"It took me, but I got away," Kate sobbed, arms extended.

"It's okay," the blonde assured her, stepping towards her. "You're okay."

"I got away, sweetie," she repeated, fiercely wiping at her eyes.

Arielle couldn't help herself and stepped into her mother's open arms, embracing her tightly. "Arielle, step away from her," Sam warned, aiming the shotgun.

Blinking, she turned to her brother, tears streaming down her face. "Sam, what the hell?!"

"She's not your mother!" he started, never flinching the gun away.

"Who – Arielle, what's going on?" her mother asked, her eyes going from the girl in her arms to the brother.

Sam inched his way around the table, closing in on Arielle. "Get away from her!"

"What's going on?" Kate repeated, her eyes frantic.

Arielle stood in front of her, wide eyes on her half-brother. Her arm instinctively held her mother back. "It's really her, okay? It's her!"

"There was too much blood. You know that. Your mother's dead. There was too much blood in the vents!" Sam's speech caused Arielle to break contact with Kate momentarily and the brother took the chance to shove her away from the woman.

Reacting, Arielle snatched the shotgun from the unprepared Sam. She pointed it at him then quickly back to Kate. "Arielle!" her mother breathed out, eyes wide.

Sam stood with his hands up, not wanting to provoke her. "Shoot it," he ordered, his eyes going to the thing that called itself Kate. The woman shook her head vigorously.

"He's crazy! Honey, it's me!" her mother pleaded, the shotgun in Arielle's hand shaking at her words. She turned the barrel of the gun towards Sam now.

"Arielle! Look!" Sam begged, before being interrupted.

"Honey, it's me!" the woman cried again.

"Look, that's not your mother!"

"Baby, please!"

"Shoot it!" Sam roared. "It's not human!" Arielle levelled the gun back at Kate. Before she could pull the trigger, something smashed against the back of her head. "Arielle!" she heard Sam scream before a second thud echoed in her ears.

The world went dark.

* * *

Arielle came to, finding herself strapped down. Duct tape bound her to the table around the waist and her wrists and ankles were tied as well. She looked to her right to find Sam also rousing himself from unconsciousness. She saw who she thought was her mother circling them, cleaning her fingernails with a knife.

"Silver," Sam said, almost choking on the word. "No wonder the bullet didn't work. You're not shapeshifters. You're ghouls." At the mention of a gun wound, the woman wiggled her arm with a smirk.

"You know, I find that term racist," Kate said in a mocking tone, waving the knife in the air. The monster approached Arielle and the blonde watched in disgust as the thing sniffed from her wrist to her neck then nibbled on her ear. "Mmm. Fresh meat. So much better than what we're used to."

Arielle jerked her head away, hot tears springing into her eyes. "I should have known. It was the fresh kills that threw me. Ghouls don't usually go for the living," Sam continued, trying to get the attention away from his sister. Arielle focused her eyes on him as he spoke. "You see, you're just filthy scavengers, feeding off the dead – taking the form of the last corpse you choke down."

"And their thoughts," a new voice added. "And their memories." The man they knew as Joe Barton stepped into the room, flourishing another knife. "Like Joe and Kate here, for instance."

"Well, we are what we eat," Kate sighed, waltzing over to Arielle as Joe approached Sam.

Arielle turned her eyes from Sam to the creature. "You're monsters," she spat, face red as she struggled against the bonds.

"Now is that any way to talk to mommy dearest?" the thing chastised, sliding the knife across the blonde's arm, drawing blood. Arielle bit down on her lip to keep from screaming.

"Get away from her!" Sam roared, the ropes digging into his flesh as he pulled to free himself.

Joe examined the knife and then the man before him, plunging the weapon halfway into Sam's side. "Monster. You know, you humans use that word a lot," he said in a thoughtful tone, slowly retracting the knife. "But I don't think you know what it means."

Sam's breath quickened as the blood soaked through his shirt, grunting when Kate came round and plunged a finger into the wound. Licking the blood, her eyes turned skyward. "His blood, it tastes different," she noted, repeating the procedure.

Joe went to Arielle, slashing her other arm. The girl forced herself to lay still, her chest heaving as the creature placed a bowl to gather the blood. "Our father was a monster? Why? Because of what he ate?" he continued, ignoring the comment on Sam's blood. "He never hurt anyone. Living, anyway."

"No, he was no monster," Kate agreed, twirling her knife before pointing it at Sam. "The thing that killed him was though. A monster named John Winchester."

"Thanks to your daddy, my sister and I grew up on our own," Joe snarled, slashing Sam's arm and placing a bowl below it. Sam tugged harder at his ropes and Arielle saw the blood oozing out faster. "At least we had each other," the man said, a warm glance directed at the woman.

"Like you and your brother. Inseparable," Kate said, planting a kiss on the cheek of the man known as Joe Barton.

Joe smiled before turning back to Sam. "Actually, it was very hard to get you on your own. We weren't much too worried about this one, though," Barton said, nodding to Arielle. "We knew it'd be easy to get her to doubt you, not being close to you and your brother, that is."

"Like you said, Sam, the only thing you can count on is family." Kate grinned and took a sip from a bowl filled with Arielle's blood. "For twenty years we lived like rats."

"Graveyard after graveyard," Joe recalled, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "All that stinking flesh."

Kate patted his arm before swiping up some of Sam's blood next. "Then we thought, 'Hey, why not move up to fresher game?'" she said, taking two fingers and digging them into Sam's side wound again, causing him to groan through gritted teeth.

Joe grinned. "And we knew just where to start, of course." He dug the knife into Sam's arm again, a new bloody trail running down his forearm. "Revenge – it's never over, is it, Sam?"

"First it was John's cop friend," Kate said, pointing at her brother. "Then his slut. We almost had the little bastard child, but somehow," she paused, twirling a strand of Arielle's hair in her finger. "Somehow the brat got away."

The creature slashed at the girl's stomach, eliciting a muted whimper, and bent at the waist, greedily licking up the seeping blood. "We figured she'd call John, father of the year," Joe stated, creating another slash on Sam's arm to gather more blood. "But, it seems the son of a bitch is already dead."

"So I guess you three will have to do," the sister ghoul sighed, standing back straight and neatly wiping at her mouth with a napkin. "Dean won't interrupt us this time. We're going to feed on you nice and slow – like we did with Kate. Oh and by the way," the woman added. "Arielle really is your sister." She tapped at her temple, grinning. "You should know that."

Joe laughed, licking his lips. "She was still alive when we took our first bites," Joe reminisced, running his tongue across the blade lap up the blood. "And she was a screamer."

Arielle screamed in rage and fought against her own ropes, the blood pooling into the bowls under her. "Darling, the more you struggle, the faster you're gonna bleed out," Kate soothed, running her hand over the girl's forehead. Arielle snapped at it with her teeth and the creature laughed. "You might as well lie back and relax."

"Hey!" a voice called out. All of them snapped their attention towards the door. A gunshot echoed in the room and Joe was sent flying against the wall, a hole in his shoulder.

The woman snarled. "Dean, they're ghouls!" Sam informed him. They watched Dean pause before aiming and firing at the thing imitating Kate.

Blood and bones splattered against the wall and Arielle watched as the headless body crumpled to the ground. "Which means head-shot," Dean replied. Joe slammed against Dean and the other two siblings heard struggling in the ground.

"Dean!" Arielle shouted, her voice tense with worry. Sounds of bone thumping against the floor reverberated and a hand grabbing a metal bar was seen by Sam and Arielle. Hammering followed for a couple of seconds, then silence.

The tied down siblings held their breaths. "Dean?!" Sam called out this time. Their brother's figure rose and he went to the other two, first cutting off Arielle's rope then Sam's. He exited the room but quickly returned, towels bundled up in his arms.

"Come on. Come on. Hang on," he said, handing a pair of towels to Sam before turning to Arielle and helping her up. "Here we go. Hang on, kid. All right." Arielle followed Sam's example and wrapped the towels around the wounds in her arms.

Turning her green eyes to Dean, she gave him a tired smile. "Thank you."

The oldest son pressed another towel to her stomach as he took turns checking on her and Sam. "That's what family's for, right?" he said, a small smile on his face. "Keep pressure on that." She did as she was told, her eyes watching Dean retrieve a first aid kit.

_That's what family's for._


	7. Chapter 7

Arielle sat with her head against the window, watching the blur of scenery. They'd been on the road for a couple of weeks now, stopping here and there for a case. She'd cashed out all her accounts, including the savings her mother had accumulated. It hadn't taken much for Dean to convince her to leave the car behind if she wanted to join them. After the night with the ghouls, she found herself too exhausted to do much. She couldn't sell the last gift her mother gave her, but she couldn't bear sell it.

"You hungry?" Dean asked, noticing the slight jump she gave through the rearview mirror. Shaking her mother's death was harder than she thought and she knew it worried her half-brothers. It was time to change that.

Sitting up, she gave him a nod and a small smile. "I'm craving a giant, medium-rare steak," she started, tying her hair up in a loose ponytail, her bangs framing her face. "Mashed potatoes with bits of bacon and melted cheese," she continued, her stomach now grumbling at the idea of an actual meal. "Corn. Lotsa corn. And carrots and green beans. Oh, and bread rolls smothered in butter."

She caught the look of shock on Dean's face and she couldn't help but dissolve into a heap of giggles. Her appetite had been close to nonexistent and now this. "What, you think I kept this figure by nibbling on celery and lettuce?"

"Dude," Sam said, after recovering from laughing himself. "Maumee Bay," he added, slapping Dean's arm. "We're like, an hour away at the most!" Arielle could see Dean nodding in agreement, a grin on his lips. "It's been a while."

"You think Michelle is still working there?" Man, the size of those- " he stopped as a gagging sound cut him off, and he caught Arielle pretending to vomit behind him. "Shit. Sorry. Kinda not used to having a girl around."

She rolled her eyes before perking up. "I'll let you talk about Michelle if I can talk about the guy at the gas station," she countered, sitting up on the edge of the backseat. She bit her lip at the memory of the man. "Damn, those shoulders. And when he bent over, I swear his a- "

"Okay!" Dean interrupted, raising the radio's volume. Arielle burst into laughter again, kicking at his seat playfully.

They rode on to Toledo, Ohio. Arielle was thankful Dean listened to the classics like their father, and more than once, the two belted along with the songs, much to Sam's displeasure. He practically jumped out of the Impala as soon as Dean parked the car in the restaurant lot.

Sam stood with his hands on his back, stretching. "Holy crap, five more minutes and I would've sliced my own ears off," Sam said, a slight groan escaping him as a couple of bones popped. Arielle climbed out of the backseat, reaching up towards the sky and then lowering herself to touch her toes. Once done, she stepped up to Sam and gave him a playful shove.

"Shut it," she added, walking in step between the two brothers and heading to the restaurant.

The trio enjoyed a delicious meal as Sam and Dean shared stories of their hunts. Arielle devoured every word, her eyes glue to her brothers as she shoveled food into her mouth. Closing time fell upon them and, leftovers in hand, they headed back to the Impala. The ride to the closest hotel was quick and as soon as they got a room, Arielle dove head first into bed.

It was the first night she slipped right into sleep.

* * *

She floats in a lake, her arms spread out and the sun beating on her face. She feels like a mermaid, turning and slipping into the water, holding her breath as she seems as far down as she can. Fish swim by her, avoiding her grasping hands, and when she begins letting the air blow out of her mouth, swimming up and bursting through the surface.

She's smiling wide, dipping her head back momentarily before her eyes catch sight of a pier. Her brows knot as she recognizes the man fishing as her brother, Dean. Her mouth opens to call out to him, but a man in a brown trench coat appears suddenly beside him.

Her eyes narrow, trying to jog her mind and see if she knows the guy. She watches an interchange go on, and Dean is looking at something in his hand.

Just as the girl starts swimming toward him, the chair and her brother disappear. Eyes wide, she looks around and sees everything fading, even the lake she's in. The lovely vision suddenly changes to her on her back, arms spread out exactly as if she were floating again. Her mother is with her though and the Joe Barton is replaced by John Winchester. Both have bloodied knifes and when they grin, their teeth are coated in red. Glancing down at herself, she sees she's once again tied to the kitchen table, bleeding over the bodies of her brothers instead of into bowls.

She tries to scream but instead of her voice, spurts of blood shoot out and splatter her face.

* * *

She awoke with a gasp just as Sam was about to shake her away. The dream had been a recurring one, minus the inclusion of Dean and the trench coat man. Her shirt clung to her body, heavy with sweat as she untangled herself from the covers and headed to the bathroom just as Dean exited.

Shutting the door behind her and grabbing onto the sink, she took a look at herself in the mirror. The bag under eyes had grown, but she hadn't noticed until now. The splash of cold water brought color back into her features and she changed quickly. Stepping out, she saw Dean and Sam waiting with their bags.

"You okay?" Dean asked. She let out a breath and gave him as best a smile as she could muster. "Okay," he said, though Arielle knew he didn't but it. "Let's hit the road."

Once in the car, Dean shared his dream, and Arielle's eyes widened to hear the beginning of her dream repeated back , now knowing the name of the man she saw with Dean. The rest of the nightmare flooded her mind and Sam noticed her shiver as she looked out the window. He shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she muttered, sliding it on and returning her gaze to the dark landscape. They road in silence until Dean turned into an abandoned warehouse. The trio climbed out and each sibling grabbed a flashlight.

"Well, what did he say, Dean?" Sam asked as they walked in to find it as empty and ill-kept as the outside. "What was so important?"

"If I knew, would I be here?" Dean retorted, leading them up some stairs. Their flashlights illuminated the area. "What the hell?"

Sam kicked at some rubble. "It looks like a bomb went off," he noted, walking further into the room.

"There was a fight here," Dean added, his eyes locked on the walls. He suddenly slapped Sam's arm, pointing to a symbol on one of the walls. Arielle was sure it was made with blood.

"Look familiar?" Dean asked and Sam gave a solemn nod. "Anna used something like that to wish the angels back to the cornfield."

"Anna?" the blonde asked. "Angels?" The girl shook her head, running her hand through her loose hair as she tried to make sense of what they were saying.

"So, what? Cas was fighting angels?" Sam asked then turned to his sister. "Cas and Anna are angels."

The young woman blinked. "Angels," she repeated flatly. " Life, fluffy wings and glowing halos angels?"

Sam chuckled . "More like suits and ties. Well, Cas does like his trench coat, though." They caught sight of Dean digging someone out. The mention of a trench coat jogged something in her mind but she forgot it when she noticed Dean's features change.

"Sam," he called out, before turning back to who was on the ground. "Cas? Cas," Dean said, his voice almost stern yet lowered in volume. "Hey, Cas?"

"Wha… What's going on?" the familiar man said and Arielle was surprised to see the man in her dreams.

"Just take it easy. Take it easy," Dean said, helping up the brunette. His blue eyes looked around blankly as he struggled to his feet.

Sam quickly approached them while Arielle hung back, her eyes still unable to believe the sight. "Cas, you okay?" Sam asked as Arielle finally went to his side, inspecting a cut on his forehead.

The blood was a dull red, but even in the dimly lit space, she knew it was real. Taking a bandana from the back of her pocket, she dabbed at the blood threatening to fall into his eye. "Ugh," the man started, clearing his throat. "Castiel. I'm not Castiel. It's me."

Arielle looked between the bewildered brothers. "Who's 'me'?" Sam pressed as he eyed the man now.

"Where the hell is Castiel?" Dean demanded as they helped walk him out of the warehouse.

Arielle had hooked her arm under his right one to keep him erect. The man didn't know who to answer first as he looked between the Winchester brothers. "Jimmy. My name's Jimmy. And Castiel. He's gone."


	8. Chapter 8

The Winchester siblings watched Jimmy ravish a hamburger. He gave satisfied moans as he stuffed fries into his mouth after his last bite. "You mind slowing down? You're gonna give me angina," Dean said, already rubbing at his chest.

"Hungry," Jimmy managed to reply between bites. "Been months since I ate." The brothers looked at him in shock as Arielle simply looked out the window, deep in thought.

"What the hell happened back there?" Sam finally asked when Jimmy took a break from eating. "It looked like an angel battle royale."

Jimmy shrugged, giving a sigh before popping the last fries into his mouth and practically swallowing without chewing. "All I remember is a flash of light and I, uh… I woke up and I was just, you know, like me again," he lamely explained, looking into the paper bag with disappointment.

"So, what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean asked with a furrowed brow.

"I really don't know."

"You don't remember anything about being possessed?" Sam asked now. "Anything at all."

Jimmy crumpled the bag before turning his eyes to him. "Bits and pieces. I mean, angel inside of you, it's like being chained to a comet."

Arielle finally turned to face him. "Doesn't sound like much fun," she said, pushing the untouched drink towards him. Jimmy gave her a thankful look and took a huge gulp. She watched as he closed his eyes, savoring the sweetness of the drink.

"Understatement," he responded kindly afterwards as Sam fidgeted in his seat.

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something," he continued, eyes piercing the brunette. "Please tell me you remember that."

Jimmy shook his head, taking a slower drink of pop. "Sorry," he added and Arielle gave his hand a pat.

Dean sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Okay, what _do_ you know?"

"My name is Jimmy Novak. I'm from Pontiac, Illinois." His blue eyes went to his hands on the drink. "I have a family." The brothers quickly lost interest, realizing this was going nowhere. Arielle noticed the look they shared.

"We're going for some more grub," Dean said after the short silence. Sam stood along with him, and both men gazed at Arielle and she immediately understood she was on bodyguard duty. "You want anything?"

"Just a chocolate milkshake," she said, then gave Jimmy a smile. "Make that two. I'm have a hunch he misses sweets as well."

The guys took off, and the blonde knew the moment the door shut, they'd be discussing their options concerning the man formerly known as Castiel. The duo left behind sat in silence and moments later, the sound of the Impala's engine was heard through the thin walls. She observed Jimmy slouched over, completely lost in his thoughts now. After a half hour, she decided to break him out of his thoughts.

"Tell me about your family," Arielle said, not wanting him to get too deep into his mind that it might cause desperate actions. If she kept him calm, she knew she'd be able to keep him controlled. A bonus would be if he believed he could trust her, ensuring he'd give her a heads up if escaping came to mind.

Jimmy blinked and sat up, straightening out his tie absentmindedly. "I have a wife, Amelia. And I have my daughter, Claire. My god, I simply walked out," he said, his voice suddenly breaking. "I left them in the middle of the night and just… I didn't think twice." He hung his head in shame. Arielle hesitated, at the mention of a spouse, before grabbing his hand and squeezing lightly.

"You did what you thought was best. And even if you can't recall all that's happened, I'm sure you've done good. I mean, an angel _chose_ you, of all the men on Earth. That's gotta mean something, right?"

Jimmy used his free hand to rub his red eyes with the palm. "I… honestly, don't know. I mean, Castiel killed people. Or, demons. But it killed the vessel too. I thought he was supposed to protect them, to save them, but…" he shook his head, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

The blonde heard movement outside and let go of the man's hand as the door opened quietly. "I just want to go home," Jimmy added quietly.

"You can't go home," Sam said to him as Dean came up behind him. Sam went to a bed with a bag as Dean closed the door and sat at the table with Jimmy and Arielle. The brunette looked to Sam, eyes narrowed and mouth in a firm line.

"The hell are you talking about, I can't go home?" Arielle looked at Dean for an explanation, receiving only the shake of a head in return.

"There's a good chance you have a bull's-eye on your back," Dean said in a low voice, handing Arielle both shakes. The blonde waited, watching Jimmy's reaction.

She noted the slight tremble in his hands, though whether from fear or anger was hard to tell. "What? From who?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Demons," Dean answered without pause. Jimmy shook his head fervently.

"Come on, that's crazy. What do they want with me?" he reasoned, his hands curling into fists unconsciously.

Arielle grabbed his hands, smoothing out the fists and placing the milkshake between them. She could feel heat emanating from him. "You were an angel's vessel, Jim," she reminded him, her green eyes searching out his blue ones. "They'd want information."

"I don't know anything, though," he insisted, almost crushing the paper cup in his hands before forcing himself to relax. Arielle sighed softly and nodded.

"I believe you, but they won't," she said, trying to keep eye contact with him. "And from what I've been told, they go through… thorough lengths to make sure you're telling the truth. She knew Dean and Sam couldn't even bear looking at him now, a man they thought they knew now someone completely different. The job to keep him calm fell onto her.

Jimmy pushed away the milkshake, shoving the chair back and pacing the length of the room. "Look, I'm done, okay?" he said, arms out. "With demons, angels, all of it. I just want to go home."

"We understand," Dean said, attempting to sympathize.

"I don't think that you do understand," Jimmy whirled to the eldest Winchester, eyes blazing. "I've been shot and stabbed and healed, and my body has been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle, I'm out, and I am done. I've given enough, okay?"

"Look," Sam interrupted, completely ignoring his tirade. Arielle shut her eyes, something inside her shifting. "All we're saying is that until we figure this out, the safest place is with us."

Jimmy scoffed, crossing his arms and facing Sam full on. "How long?" he demanded.

Sam gave him a sharp look. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Arielle knew exactly what that means, and apparently so did Jimmy. The blonde stood, going to the window next to the door. She watched the dark sky, ears still set on the conversation. From the corner of her eye, she caught Jimmy shaking his head as he made to leave. "Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"To see my wife and daughter, okay?" Jimmy replied as Sam stood slowly and blocked his path.

"No, you're not," Sam countered flatly. "You're just going to put those people in danger."

"So, what, now I'm a prisoner?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.

Sam shrugged. "Harsh way to put it." Arielle shook her own head now as Jimmy sat on the bed closest to the door, defeated. Dean exhaled sharply and pulled the bag to him, opening it and starting in on his food. Sam followed his example, taking a seat on the other bed again.

Arielle simply stood with her back to them still. They couldn't imagine just how well she understood Jimmy right now. She missed her home, walking through the door to her mother sleeping on the couch with the TV on mute.

She missed the comfort of the apple tree's shade on warm days, a psychology book in one hand and a freshly made glass of lemonade on the other. She missed the smell of the grass, the songs of the birds, the sight of the clear blue sky full of pudgy clouds. She missed her last gift, the rumble of her Firebird beneath her as she drove down roads, the shape of the dust clouds it kicked up, the purr of the engine. Her crowded, plain dorm, the bookshelf she built herself, even the shitty and uncomfortable bed.

And in all those images, her mother. Tired or smiling, angry or laughing. She was everything to Arielle. She was her motivation and inspiration. She was the reason why she turned down Stanford and Yale, choosing the University of Minnesota, two hours away from home. She was her role model and her best friend and her partner in crime.

Her mother's eyes haunted her and she made a choice she hoped she wouldn't regret.


	9. Chapter 9

Arielle heard Dean's leveled breathing. She turned in the bed with eyes still shut, and heard Sam shuffle out from under his bedding. The brothers gave the beds over to the Arielle and Jimmy, spreading out extra covers and pillows on the floor for themselves. Now, the young woman heard the door open and shut quietly.

Pulling the covers back, she tiptoed to Jimmy, shaking his shoulder. His eyes popped open immediately and she knew he hadn't slept a wink either. She signaled for him to follow her and he obeyed, both stepping over the snoring form of Dean and heading to the door. Arielle snatched up a prepared backpack and opened the door a crack, examining the surroundings before motioning to Jimmy. She eased the door close and quickly walked away, Jimmy keeping to her side.

Turning the corner, she pushed Jimmy behind her quickly and backtracked around the corner. Sam was beside a vending machine, a flask in hand. She peeked around the corner, eyes narrowed, and found him suddenly licking something off his hand. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought it was blood. Taking the chance of the distraction, she grabbed Jimmy's hand and darted down the hall. Once they rounded the other corner, she looked back to see Sam with his back to them and talking on the phone. "Fuckin' Christ," she breathed, letting go of the man and stuffing her hands into her jacket as she walked out of the motel grounds.

"Thank you," Jimmy stated, buttoning up his trench coat. "I know you're going against your family but, well, just, thank you," he repeated as they walked down the road. She shook her head and then sighed.

"I must be crazy. But, I can't just… I can't," she said simply. "I know how you feel. And, if I knew I could see- " she started but stopped herself abruptly. "Doesn't matter. I just think you should be allowed to see your family, let them know you're alive at least."

They walked in silence, Arielle directing them through the streets she was given after asking for directions at the motel office earlier. The walk took 15 minutes and neither of them spoke until the bus station came to view. "Do you think," Jimmy started now, nervously wringing his hands now. "Do you really think the demons will go to my family?"

Arielle shrugged, shaking her head. "I honestly don't know. I didn't even know angels actually existed until we bumped into you," she confessed as they walked towards the ticket booth. "I can't risk it, though," she said and placed money for two bus tickets through the window. "I'm going with you. I was able to get the basics out of Sam while you pretended to be asleep, so we should be okay," Jimmy's eyes widened.

"But, I mean, you don't have to. I can take care of myself," he said, shaking his head. "Plus, I don't want my wife to think, I mean. How would it look like to her if I show up with some young girl at our home?" The blonde laughed, patting her backpack.

"I've got you covered there. Did you tell your wife anything about Castiel? I mean, I assume he had to have spoken to you before going in you? Don't take angels for the possessing type," she said as they sat on a bench, waiting for their ride.

"Yea," he nodded, before turning red. "She… she thought I needed help. Begged me to see a doctor and take medication. She was going to leave me if I didn't."

"Welp, we'll be killing three birds instead of two," she stated, drawing the zipper and allowing him a peek into the bag. "I filched a simple little suit and," she added, pulling out an I.D. "The guys made me this. Thought it would make it easier for me to talk to people."

Jimmy read the card. "Dr. River Jones. Well, it could've fooled me," he stated as they watched their bus arrive. They stood, stepped outside and hopped on. "What's the story?"

Taking their seats, Arielle turned to him. "You got help. I'm your doctor's assistant. You were allowed a visit, under supervision. You've gotten better," she explained as the bus slowly filled with other people. "This is the best, and simplest, plan. I'll be able to watch over you, allow you to see your family, and maybe even fix up your marriage," she said, cracking a smile. Jimmy chuckled and shook his head.

"Really. Thank you," he said, taking her hand in his and smiling. His eyes began to fill with tears. "I just, I know your brothers will be furious, but you risked it for me. I am forever in your debt." Arielle gave him a small smile.

"Just pay it forward," she said as he let go of her fingers. "Be warned, though, I'm sure they'll be following as soon as they wake up. I can't assure you they won't get there before us." He nodded and settled back, a hopeful shine now in his eyes as the bus hit the road.

Arielle fidgeted before taking a breath. "When Castiel was in you," she blurted out, eyes anxious. "Did he ever mention heaven? What it was like? If it even exists?"

His blue eyes blinked and he sat up. "He spoke to me about it, sometimes. We rarely had time to talk with all the missions he was apparently set up with," Jimmy replied, interlacing his fingers. "It exists. But… it seems God is missing." Arielle's eyes widened. "I mean, those that are dead, they're okay. They have their piece in the Promised Land and they're fine. But, there's something going on, between the angels. Castiel is trying to keep it from falling apart, doing what he thinks is best. I don't know if it'll even work."

The blonde nodded, the words swirling in her head as her green eyes returned to the scenery. While it brought her relief, knowing her mother actually was in a better place now, a new worry found itself worming into her mind.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence as Arielle looked out the window. Guilt rode heavily on her shoulders as well, the fact she so easily betrayed Dean and Sam's trust. Yet, she knew this was the only thing, the _right_ thing to do. Jimmy deserved at least that much, after all he gave in his traveling with Castiel. She could apologize later and while she imagined Dean would understand, she wasn't so sure about Sam, even if he was the one that took her under his wing without hesitation.

She jumped, a sigh turning into a gasp, when a weight fell on her shoulder. Turning her face, she found the man slumped sideways towards her and fast asleep. Her brow knotted, unsure of what to do. Her eyes went back to the window and she let him continue his sleep, undisturbed.


	10. Chapter 10

The duo stood outside a home, watching the movement in the lighted window. Arielle carefully took a peek at Jimmy who stood transfixed with the sight of his daughter at the table and his wife walking towards her.

Arielle had taken them to a gas station to give her a chance to switch outfits, along with completing a few other provisions she had in mind. Now, she adjusted the tie and patted an awestruck Jimmy on the shoulder. "Are you ready? You know this could go either good or bad, right?" she asked as they slowly walked up the pathway. He nodded.

Before they knocked, the blonde adjusted the gun on the small of her back, feeling reassurance at the extra loaded magazines she stashed in her pockets. The cold steel of a knife gave her the extra boost. She had managed to nick it out of Sam's pocket when he'd been showing her a lock to hold someone down without hurting them too much. She had managed a lot preparation during the couple of hours before she'd gone to "sleep", even under the watch of her brothers.

Taking a breath, she lifted a finger and hit the doorbell once, taking a step back so Jimmy would be the first thing Amelia saw. When the woman opened the door, her eyes went wide. "We, uh – we stopped looking for you."

"I'm so sorry, Amelia" were the first words Jimmy spoke.

"You were dead. We, uh – we thought you were dead," she explained, almost mechanically.

The man gave her a shameful smile. "I'm okay." Without another word, she shut the door and they heard her command Claire to her room. A moment later the door opened once again and she pushed it back all the way, motioning them to come in.

"I'm Doctor Jones," Arielle introduced herself once they were in the den. Jimmy's eyes were on his wife, not even blinking. It would be better this way. Arielle could control the story. "We found your husband wandering about," she continued flashing her I.D. "I work in a facility in Austin, Texas. There were no documents on him so we simply signed him in as a John Doe. It may be why you couldn't find him. It took us a while to track where he was from. As I'm sure you are aware, your husband suffered from severe hallucinations. You've heard of schizophrenia, correct?"

The woman nodded, her eyes glassy and wide. Arielle gave her a reassuring smile before continuing. "It took a lot of hard work, but Jimmy was able to surpass all that. It took a bit for him to remember information about his life, but when I got enough hints, I was able to find out where he was from. Once he remembered everything on his own, his doctor approved him for a supervised visit," Arielle said before her eyes went to the stairs behind them. Jimmy's daughter stood quietly by the door and Arielle hesitated to continue.

"Claire. Room. Now," Amelia stated after catching sight of her daughter.

"Can I please see her?" Jimmy asked quietly.

Amelia shook her head. "No. No, I don't know yet. It's been almost a year, you know?"

"I know," he replied, hanging his head. "I know."

Arielle took a hint and stood, walking out of the room but staying close to the entrance. Looking up the stairs nearby, she noticed Claire sitting at the top. She could hear the voices of the couple as she walked to the foot of the stairs and motioned to Claire to come down. The girl obeyed a stood before the young woman. "Are you alright?" Arielle asked and the girl looked at her shoes.

"Is daddy really better now?" she asked in a voice above a whisper. The blonde took Claire's hands in her own, bending over slightly to look into her eyes.

"He is, sweetie," she assured her. "He still needs a bit of help from us, but I promise he'll be as good as new in no time." Claire finally pulled her eyes from her shoes and gave Arielle a smile. "Let's go see what they're up to, okay?"

When she walked back into the den, she found the couple standing around awkwardly. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" Amelia asked, her eyes red. Arielle blushed and opened her mouth to reply.

"She will," Jimmy stated before the young woman could reply. The gratitude in his eyes was easy to see. "It's because of her help that I was able to see you in the first place."

"Hi daddy," Claire said timidly, stepping out from behind Arielle. Jimmy's eyes fell on her and Arielle gave an encouraging tap on the girl's shoulder.

"Hi, baby," Jimmy called back and with a noticeable sense of elation, swept her into his arms. Arielle stepped to the side as Amelia exited the den and headed to the kitchen. The blonde woman made a sign to Jimmy, letting him know she would step outside for a bit. He gave a slight nod and sat back down with his daughter, asking about school.

The night's cool air hit her as a blessing, and she walked around the house. Her eyes and ears were on the alert, head turning at any little sound. She knew facing a demon would be nothing like facing ghosts or even that wendigo. She would have to be on her toes the whole time of the visit. The stroll around the house helped plan for the coming night. She wasn't planning on leaving just yet. The safety of a family rested on her shoulders, after the decision she made to bring Jimmy. Now, there was nothing but to ensure there really was no danger for the family.

She walked back into the house just in time to see Jimmy standing, Claire clutching his hand tightly. The man smiled wide and motioned for Arielle to follow her to the dining room. She obeyed, shutting the door securely behind her.

"Okay, so," Amelia said as she looked up from the kitchen table. "We have turkey and roast beef. I hope it's okay," she added, giving Arielle an apologetic look. "It's all we have."

"Oh, it's fine," Jimmy smiled as she placed drinks for everyone. "It's more than fine. Please, sit down already." Arielle was at the other end of the table, watching the small family and feeling an ache in her chest. "It's perfect."

The young woman kept her senses on high alert, though. Catching the slightest out-of-place sound could be the difference between their lives or deaths. Her hands sat expectantly on her things, tense and ready to grab for the hidden weapons. Jimmy grabbed a sandwich, a content sigh escaping his lips as he took in the scent of the food. "Daddy, aren't you going to say grace?"

His daughter's question caused all movement to stop. Arielle noticed the apprehension of the wife as her eyes discreetly studied her husband. "No, honey," he finally replied, still holding the sandwich up. "I don't think I am."

"Why are you crying?" she asked right after, taking a sandwich and setting it on her plate. Arielle looked towards the man now, a look of surprise crossing his face when his fingers came back wet after touching his cheeks.

"Because I'm happy," he responded, smiling at the young girl. Claire beamed before grabbing a second sandwich. She stood and took the few steps to Arielle's seat, placing the meal on her plate. The young woman blushed, and muttered a small thank you to the girl. As Claire took her seat once more, the doorbell rang. Arielle tensed and she stood when Amelia walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Roger," she heard Amelia greet.

"Hey Ames. How you doing?"

Arielle's eyes went to Jimmy who chewed thoughtfully, a smile forming on his lips as he recognized the voice. "Good." Amelia answered, and Arielle knew she was trying to find a polite way to dismiss the neighbor.

"Am I crazy or did I just see your husband wander in here about an hour ago?" the man continued. The blonde watched Jimmy wipe his mouth and pat his daughter's hand as a sign for her to stay put. Arielle realized he was unaware of how suspicion this Roger sounded and she followed quickly.

Jimmy and Arielle rounded the corner, though the blonde stayed a foot or two behind, waiting around the corner. Her hand automatically went to her back, resting on the pistol's grip as she took a peek and found Jimmy and Roger embracing. They laughed as they clapped each other's back and then pulled away. "Son of a bitch. What the hell happened to you?" Roger asked.

The brunette shook his head, sighing. "Ah, long story. But it's over now," Jimmy stated, though Arielle now was positive it wasn't. Roger nodded in what seemed understanding.

"Can I get you a beer?" Amelia asked, a sign she had given up on getting rid of the man. Arielle leaned against the wall, head back and eyes shut.

This wasn't right.

"That'd be great, thanks," the neighbor replied and Amelia headed to the kitchen, giving the young woman an apologetic look as she passed her by. Arielle was glad she hadn't spoken. "Buddy, you scared the hell out of a lot of people," she heard Roger say, and while Jimmy may not have picked up on it, Arielle had definitely noticed the slight mocking tone when he said 'hell'.

"I know, I know," came Jimmy's muffled reply. Arielle imagined him rubbing his face.

"So really, what happened?" Roger said, keeping a tone of confidence in his voice.

"Honestly, worse year of my life and you wouldn't believe a word of it. But, it's all okay now. I swear." Arielle's lip curled into a snarl at the sound of the words that came out of Roger.

"Actually, no, it's not."


	11. Chapter 11

The blonde pulled out the gun and was about to shoot the man when the echo of steps came round the corner. Hiding the gun, she stepped in Amelia's way, directing her back to the kitchen.

"I think this might help his therapy," Arielle lied in a rushed but quiet tone. "I would like to study his interaction without interruption. Would it be too much to ask you to wait in the kitchen?" Amelia nodded solemnly and turned to head back but a cry called her attention back and both women raced to the living room. Jimmy stood over a collapsed Roger, a candlestick in his hand as he beat him.

Amelia watched him in horror and Arielle gritted her teeth. "Jimmy, stop!" his wife yelled and made to grab him, but Arielle stopped her. Heavy breathing came from the brunette and he turned, his eyes wide and scared.

"He's a demon!" Jimmy said, directing the words to Arielle as his frantic eyes switched between the young woman and the man on the floor. "Take her and run!"

"Stop it!" Amelia yelled again and Arielle pushed her out of the room and towards the kitchen, her mind now on the young daughter on her own. "You said he was better," Amelia sobbed.

Arielle pulled her into the kitchen, glad to see Claire still sitting. Her face was slightly pale though, and she knew she'd heard all the commotion going on in the other room. "I'm sorry," Arielle stated, motioning for Claire to follow. "This is why it was to be supervised. I wasn't sure if the demons would actually follow him or not."

Amelia's eyes went wide and she clutched Claire to her as Arielle herded them into a utility room. "Oh, god. You too," she moaned. Arielle searched the room, knocking aside useless obstacles until she found a bag of salt. "You stay the hell away from us."

"Lady, trust me," Arielle interrupted, turning her sharp green eyes to the woman and piercing her hazel ones. "This is all very, very real." Arielle haphazardly drew out a thick line of salt over the utility door. "Don't cross the line," she warned and as she turned, she caught sight of Claire's terrified face. She hesitated, brow furrowed, before warming up her features and giving a slight smile. "Claire- "

"No! Run, Claire!" the wife screamed as she threw herself at Arielle. "Stay away from her!" The young woman would've been knocked back if she hadn't instinctively braced herself for impact. Claire stood frozen as she watched the two women struggle with each other until her feet finally moved beneath her. Arielle's eyes widened and she reached a hand out, her fingertips barely grazing Claire's sweater as she flew out towards the living room.

Arielle growled, managing to shove Amelia off. "Dammit," she muttered through gritted teeth as she gave chase. Skidding into the living room, she found Roger with a knife to Claire's throat and Jimmy with a gash on the side of his face. "Dammit," Arielle repeated in a hiss.

"Told you I'd gut the bitch," Roger grinned as Amelia caught up and took a step into the scene.

"Roger," the mother said, almost as a whisper.

Jimmy held both arms out, his eyes locked on the possessed man. "Just let her go, okay? I'm willing to go wherever you want, just let her go."

The demon gave a melodramatic sigh. "Now, me, I would, but the missus, she has other ideas."

"No!" Amelia screamed, catching sight of a shadow.

"Daddy!" Claire cried as Roger's wife tackled Jimmy. Arielle watched Amelia jump in to help her husband and without hesitating, the blonde pulled out her gun. She squeezed off two shots, hitting the arm holding the knife.

The demon barely flinched and a hint of a grin was surfacing until the arm starting to sizzle, smoke sailing out of the gun wounds. He dropped the knife, screaming. "Honestly, I thought it wouldn't work. But I guess the right words and some holy water can make a gun and bullets useful against demons," Arielle said flippantly, giving the man a wide smile as she grabbed Claire from his reach. She turned quickly and shot Roger's missus, hitting her leg.

Amelia stood, red and sweating, and Arielle pushed Claire into her arms. "Get them out of here, Novak!" Arielle commanded as he pushed off a groveling Mrs. Roger. "Go!" Roger recovered quickly, not wanting to lose the family. Arielle blocked him, gun aimed as she allowed her other hand to grab the hilt of the engraved knife. He growled and readied himself. "You know you can't kill me with that, holy blessing or not," he sneered as he advanced, his arm slowly regaining motion.

"You really should watch your back," Dean's voice called and when the demon whirled around to face him, Arielle didn't hesitate to step up and slash the man's throat with the knife. She watched in awe as he seemed to light up before crumbling onto the ground. Sam appeared behind her, hand outstretched towards the woman that had been limping toward Arielle when her own back was turned.

Arielle saw the concentration in Sam's eyes as he kept his hand pointed towards the demon. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dean slip behind the woman. "Can't get it up, can you, Sam?" she mocked with bared teeth, practically cackling.

Dean made a gesture to Arielle and, without thinking, the young woman threw the knife towards him. He caught it with ease. "No, but I can." The demon's eyes widened and before Dean could stab her, she evacuated the vessel, leaving an unconscious body behind. Dean clicked his tongue, winking at Arielle. "Come on, come on, come on," he said and all three siblings ran outside.

They found Jimmy and Claire waiting anxiously. "Thank god," Jimmy exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

"Amelia?" Arielle asked, looking around in concern.

"Right here," she called shakily, seated inside the Impala. Arielle gave a sigh of relief as Dean rounded the car to the driver's side.

"Let's go," the eldest Winchester called, gunning it when everyone was safe inside.


	12. Chapter 12

The Winchesters stood in a circle with Jimmy. The man watched his wife soothing his daughter as they sat in the Impala. He rubbed his eyes and turned to the brothers. "You were right."

"I'm sorry we were," Dean replied, a hint of empathy audible. Arielle scratched at the back of her neck, her eyes on the ground. She felt the brothers' eyes boring into her. Sighing, she looked up and squared her shoulders, steeling her insides.

"I did what I thought was right," she flatly stated. Sam scoffed and Dean gave him a look, shutting him up before he could say anything.

Dean returned his gaze to the young woman. "We'll talk about it later," Dean said calmly as Jimmy gave the blonde a look of sympathy.

Arielle shook her head. "No. Now," she retorted, turning to Sam. "Let me guess. You were gonna yell at me, saying how we had a plan. You're going to point out how you were right about the demons and the plan you had was the best option. But you know what? It _wasn't_ the best option and I _didn't_ have a choice in this. You went off to decide for us and I was left to babysit. No offense, Novak," she added and received a small smile in return. "I know I'm not part of this family. It's obvious. You asked me to tag along because of dad. That's it. If it ever came down to it, you'd let me die if it meant saving each other."

The brothers were stunned into silence. Jimmy placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back slightly. She hadn't even realized how she was shaking. "I'm a stranger," she continued softly now, trying to calm her body. "I know. But I knew better than either of you what Jimmy felt. And you should have, too. Losing family… You've been in his shoes. And I know that if you, Dean, were separated from Sam and knew you could see him again, you wouldn't hesitate to search him out, no matter what the danger."

"We'll talk, just us, after we deal with this," Sam repeated finally as if her whole spiel was pointless. Dean closed his eyes, shaking his head at Sam's response. "You sure you don't remember anything?"

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything," Jimmy responded, visibly upset at his disregard for Arielle's justification. The young woman stood beside him, fists clenched and jaw locked.

"I don't think they're inclined to believe you," Dean sighed, rubbing his face. Arielle bit down on her tongue and the taste of blood filled her mouth. Jimmy noticed the change in her features and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"And even if they did, you're a vessel. They're still gonna wanna know what makes you tick," Sam stated matter-of-factly. "I'm gonna tell you once again, you're putting your family in danger. You have to come with us."

Jimmy turned his eyes from Arielle to Sam, his jaw set. "How long? And don't give me that 'cross that bridge when we get to it' crap."

"Don't you get it?" Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible or you put a bullet in your head. And that's how you keep your family safe. But there's no getting out and there's no going home."

"Well, don't sugarcoat it Sam," Dean muttered, his eyes searching the man before them.

"I'm just telling him the truth, Dean. Someone has to."

"Look at that. Suddenly you care about truth," Arielle snapped, rolling her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Sam threatened, his eyes narrowing.

"You're full of shit," she spat without hesitation. "You don't care about his family or about Jimmy. You don't care what might happen to them when they leave, because we all know this won't end just like that. You care about one-upping these demons, for whatever reason you have in your twisted head. You'd kill them if it meant winning the war, and you'd lie your head off on the way to the slaughterhouse." Sam advanced on her, but Arielle held her ground. Her sharp green eyes held onto his dark ones. "I see through you, big brother. I may be a stranger but I ain't stupid."

Jimmy pulled her away as Dean did the same with Sam. "It's okay," Novak said, holding her shoulders to make her look at him. "It's okay. No matter the reason, he's right. We saw that tonight. I have to get away from Ames and Claire, no matter how much I want to stay. Their lives are more important than anything else under the sun."

Arielle turned her face and nodded. The look in his eye asked for her support in this now, and she would oblige. When he let go, she walked away from the group. Leaning against a wall, she saw Jimmy plod towards his wife as she stepped out of the car. She watched Dean order Sam to do something and the taller of the two walked away in the opposite direction. Arielle crossed her arms as Dean approached her, his hands in his pockets. "You okay?" he asked.

"Peachy," she said, disdainfully. Her eyes remained on Jimmy and his family.

"I don't hold it against you. What you did," Dean said as he rested beside her. "You thought it was the right thing. And, I did too, but… I thought of the consequences."

Arielle shook her head, exhaling sharply. "Dean, if it hadn't been tonight, it would've happened later. Demons ain't stupid, I'm sure you know that. The prize was worth the risk, though. You shoulda seen how happy he was, and the way Claire's eyes lit up when- " she cut off when the lump in her throat threatened to cause her voice to break.

Dean sighed softly, patting her shoulder. "You were lucky," he said, his eyes going from his sister to the small family.

"They were being watched. We'd barely been there an hour before they showed up," she said, setting her hands on the small of her back and stretching. "They can't go home either."

Dean's brow furrowed and he exhaled sharply. His fingers scratched at the scruff on his neck. "The best they can do is hide now," he said, more to himself than to Arielle as the reality the young woman presented sank in. "We can't haul them around with us."

Sam came back, joining the two of them. His eyes landed on Arielle and she met his gaze, unafraid. Dean snapped a finger between the younger siblings and they both turned to him. "Stop. We've got work to do." The two obeyed and followed Dean to the family. "We got you guys a car. You'll need to lay low for… well, as long as you can. Better to be safe than sorry."

Claire's face scrounged up and tears fell from her eyes. "Hey, baby," Jimmy soothed, kneeling before his only daughter. The girl threw her arms around his neck and he embraced her tightly. Unable to stand it, Arielle went back to the Impala, sliding onto the backseat and shutting her eyes tightly. Jimmy joined her moments later, his face impassive but his eyes red. Dean and Sam slipped in afterwards, driving out of the parking lot in silence.

Jimmy didn't spare a glance back.

Without thinking, Arielle placed her hand over his and she felt the fierce tremble of his body. Her eyes stayed on the buildings flashing by, and when he wrapped his fingers tightly around hers, she realized she trusted him just as much as he now trusted her.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: This one is a bit longer than usual, simply because it wouldn't flow properly if I cut it into two "chapters". Also, thanks to everyone who took the time to leave reviews! I'm not used to actually getting those, and I'm happy to know y'all are enjoying the story. :)

* * *

Jimmy was asleep beside her, his head resting against the window. She imitated him, knowing it was a matter of time before her brothers began to talk. The rain thrummed against the glass softly and she was almost lulled to sleep when Dean spoke up. "What the hell happened back there?"

"What?" Sam asked, feigning ignorance.

"You practically fainted trying to gank a demon," Dean stated plainly.

Arielle imagined Sam rolling his eyes at this. "Okay, I didn't faint. I got a little dizzy," he said, trying to brush it off.

"Well, call it whatever you want. Point is, you used to be strong enough to kill Alastair," Dean pointed out as he slowed down, a sign stating they were leaving Pontiac coming into view. "Now you can't even kill a stunt-demon number three?"

"What do you want me to say about it, Dean?" Sam asked, exasperated. Arielle peeked through one eye.

Dean held up a hand, palm facing the car's ceiling. "Well for starters, what's going on with your mojo? I mean, it's yo-yoing all over the place," he said and placed his hand back on the wheel. "I'm not tryin' to pick a fight here, okay? I just – you're scaring me, man."

Sam looked out the window. "I'm scaring myself," he said, his tone almost carrying a grave undertone. Arielle's brow furrowed and she opened her eyes fully when Sam's cellphone rang. She sat up, pretending to rub her eyes as he pulled out the phone. "Hello?" he answered, his own forehead creased. "Who is this?"

The younger Winchester brother turned and, catching her eye, he motioned to Jimmy. Arielle placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder, shaking it lightly. "Hey," Sam called as Jimmy lifted himself to an upright position. "It's your wife." At this, Jimmy immediately looked alert and he took the phone from Sam.

"Amelia?" he said, his eyes growing wide after the pause. "Oh my god…"

* * *

"Alright, they're expecting you to come alone," Dean said as the four of them got out of the Impala. "That's exactly what you're gonna do."

Arielle stepped up next to Jimmy. "I'm going with him," she said and the man looked at her in surprise.

"Elle," Dean warned and the blonde blinked, surprised at the nickname. "You can't. They told him to come alone."

"And they know he won't. They'll expect you to be trailing somewhere behind, now that they know you're involved with him. If I go in too, it may give you some time to actually pull off whatever plan I know you already have in mind," she said, tucking her blessed gun into her boot instead of on her lower back. Dean popped open the truck and handed her another gun, which she set on the small of her back. "Thanks."

"We'll work our way through the catwalks. We'll be right behind you guys," Sam said and Arielle could see him trying to work out ways to sneak in unnoticed.

"Alright, then stay calm and stall," Dean said as he got his own weaponry. "Let us do the job."

Jimmy scoffed, shaking his head. "You want me to stay calm? This is my family we're talking about here," he snapped, his eyes flaring. "You said they'd be fine if I left them alone."

"Listen to me, this will work. You understand?" Dean said, trying to reassure the man. Arielle placed her hand on his shoulder and Jimmy immediately stood down, looking away from Dean. "Nobody's gonna get hurt."

Jimmy gave him his back and waited for Arielle to do the same. "Yea. Whatever. Give us at least a minute, okay?" He walked away and the young woman kept his pace, giving the brothers a final glance before they rounded a corner.

She hoped it wouldn't be the last time she saw them.

The duo walked in silence for a bit and Arielle would've bumped straight into Jimmy if she had not been watching him. "Castiel, you son of a bitch!" Jimmy screamed at the sky. "You promised me my family would be okay. You promised you were gonna take care of them," he continued, his frame trembling inside the trench coat. "I gave you everything you asked me to give. I gave you more. This is the thanks I get? This is what you do? This is your heaven? Help me, please. You promised, Cas. Just help me."

Arielle stood, watching him in silence. Jimmy shook his head, running both hands through his hair. "Typical," she heard him mutter as he headed to the warehouse. The duo entered and they found Amelia standing next to Claire. The little girl was tied from the waist and legs to a chair and upon a closer look, Arielle notices she' was unconscious.

"Hi, honey," Amelia chirped, smiling wide. "You're home." Arielle saw the wife's eye go black and a hand roughly planted itself on her shoulder. Arielle reached for the gun anyways, but was immediately stopped by the demon that thought it snuck up behind her. "Oh, you brought the tramp."

"Listen, I'm – I'm begging you here. You do whatever you want with me, but my wife and daughter," he started, his voice breaking. "They're just – they're not a part of this."

Amelia grinned. "Oh, they're a big part of this, Jimmy. And P.S. You should've just come with the tramp."

Jimmy tensed. "We are alone."

Amelia exhaled sharply, clicking her tongue at him. "Oh, you're such a liar. Like I didn't think you'd also bring Heckle and Jeckle?" Arielle groaned as she watched three other demons drag Sam and Dean in.

"Nice plan, Dean," Sam said through gritted teeth.

"Yea, well, nobody bats 1,000," he said, giving a charming grin to Arielle.

"Got the knife?" Amelia asked and one of the demons held up the weapon Arielle had used on the possessed Roger. Amelia grinned. "And you know what's funny?"

"You wearing a soccer mom?" Dean asked. Arielle shot him a glance, jerking her head towards Jimmy. "Sorry."

"I was actually _bummed_ to get this detail, picking up an empty vessel," she sighed, waving a hand around. "Sort of like a milk run. Now look who landed in my lap." She grinned, placing her hands in her back pockets.

"Yeah, well, you got us, okay? Let these people go," Sam said.

"Oh, Sam. It's easy to act chivalrous when your Wonder Girl powers aren't working, huh?" the demon possessing Amelia gave a pout before smiling wide once again. "Now for the punch line!" A gun appeared in her hand. "Everybody dies."

A shot echoed in the warehouse and Arielle's eyes widened when Jimmy collapsed. "Novak!" she yelled, dropping to the ground and holding him up. Her mouth turned into a snarl when her eyes went back to a laughing Amelia. "I'll kill you."

"Waste Little Orphan Annie, too," she said as she sauntered out of the room. Arielle made to stand but one of the demons that had brought her brothers in placed his hands on her shoulders as her initial captor headed to Claire. He picked up a pipe on his beeline to the girl and swung his arm back. Just as the pipe was about to make contact with the girl's skull, her hand shot out. She caught the pipe and placed her other hand on the demon's forehead. It roared as it was exorcised in a bright light. Arielle set Jimmy down as gently as possible before turning on the demon behind her.

She grabbed the blessed gun from her boot and shot it point-blank in the face multiple times before turning to find Sam and Dean fighting off the three demons. Arielle turned back to Claire, cradling Jimmy back in her arms. Her eyes widen when she saw the young girl burn away the ropes that were holding her down. Arielle looked down at Jimmy, a touch of horror in his eyes as he watched his daughter. "Castiel."

Arielle and Jimmy watched as she approached Dean and the two demons that were pummeling him. She placed her hands on their heads and exorcised them. Knowing he was safe for now, Arielle snapped her head towards Sam to find him slicing the throat of the demon. Then, to her horror, she watched as he drank up the blood. She looked back to find Castiel and Dean looking at Sam as well.

The possessed Amelia walked into the room but, after witnessing the fights, she turned to flee. Sam stabbed the demon pinned under him through the heart with the knife before standing and holding out his hand, easily exorcising the demon out of Amelia before she could escape. She collapsed to the ground and the bruised and bloodied Dean limped towards her, reassuring everyone she was alive. Arielle's mind reeled with what she'd seen when she was jerked out of her thoughts suddenly.

"Arielle!" Sam shouted, tossing the knife at her without hesitation. She managed to catch it and, still holding Jimmy, turned in time to stab the demon she had shot before. The man crumpled and Arielle exhaled sharply, her breathing heavy.

"Jimmy," Castiel called out from Claire's body. "Of course we keep our promises. Of course you have our gratitude. You served us well. Your work is done," he said as he walked the girl's body towards her father. Jimmy's breathing became more labored. "It's time to go home now. Your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord. Rest now, Jimmy."

"No," Jimmy wheezed, shaking his head fervently. His shirt was thoroughly soaked from blood loss. "Claire?"

"She's with me now. She's chosen," Castiel as the girl kneeled beside him, taking hold of his hand. "It's in her blood, as it was in yours."

Jimmy began to sob, still shaking his head. "Please, Castiel. Me, just take me," he pleaded, squeezing Claire's hand. "Take me, please."

Dean, Sam and the now conscious Amelia approach the trio. Claire looked back at them and then returned her gaze to Jimmy. "I want to make you understand. You won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it," Castiel said, the girl's eyes holding her father's gaze.

"It doesn't matter. You take me. Just take me," he said, his voice fading but firm. The girl nodded.

"As you wish."

The girl let go of the cold hand and touched Jimmy's face, a bright light suddenly emanating from his eyes and mouth. Arielle let him go, scrambling to her feet. Claire dropped to her hands and knees as Jimmy stood. He walked past the one who was his wife and stood with Sam and Dean. Arielle watched as Amelia ran to Claire, hugging her tightly. She looked back to her former husband and with that last glance, Castiel turned to go.

"Cas, hold up. What were you gonna tell me?" Dean called out, following him as Sam and Arielle trailed behind him.

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean," Castiel stated. Arielle searched his eyes and found nothing of the man she had started to bond with. "I serve heaven, I don't serve man, and I certainly don't serve you." The angel walked away, leaving the Winchester brothers stumped.

And just like that, Arielle was alone again.


	14. Chapter 14

The Winchester siblings rode in silence. Arielle stared at the empty seat next to her and her hand resting on it. "Alright, let's hear it," Sam finally spoke up, snapping Arielle out of her reverie.

"What?" Dean said, one hand slung over the wheel.

"Drop the bomb, man," Sam replied, shaking his head. "You saw what I did. Everyone saw. Come on. Stop the car, take a swing."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not gonna take a swing." He made to raise the volume of the radio, but Sam put his hand out and stopped him.

"Then scream, chew me out," Sam said, almost begged.

"I'm not mad, Sam."

The younger brother scoffed. "Come on. You're not mad?"

"Nope," Dean said with a sense of finality.

"Right. Look, at least let me explain myself," he said, sighing.

"Don't. I don't care," Dean insisted.

"You don't care?"

"What do you want me to say, that I'm disappointed?" Dean replied, his eyes never turning to his brother. "Yeah, I am. But mostly, I'm just tired, man. I'm done. I am just done."

Arielle listened without a word and before Sam could persist, his phone rang. With a sigh, he flipped it open. "Hey Bobby," he greeted, his eyes still on Dean. "What's going on?" He listened before looking at his phone and hanging it up.

"What'd he say?"

"To haul ass. Seems urgent."

* * *

Arielle watched as they turned into what looked like a chop shop. Dean parked and the trio exited the Impala, walking up to the shabby home. They knocked and were immediately greeted by an older, bearded man. "Well, thanks for shaking a tail," he said, not noticing Arielle behind the brothers as he turned and led them quickly through the house.

"Yea, you got it, Bobby," Dean answered. They arrived before a metal door and between the brothers' shoulders, Arielle noted the agitated appearance of the older man. Her guard rose and she stood back as Sam opened the door.

"Go on inside," Bobby said to Sam and Arielle noticed Dean stand behind the younger Winchester, keeping a slight distance now. "I wanna show you something."

Sam walked further into the room, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. "Alright. So, uh, what's the big demon problem?" he asked.

"You are," Bobby answered and Sam turned, confused. "This is for your own good." Dean and Bobby quickly pushed the heavy door shut, locking it. Sam walked to the small barred window.

"Guys. Hey. What's all this?" he called out, eyes wide. Bobby closed and latched the small door to the window, blocking all view of Sam. "This isn't funny. Guys! Hey! Guys?!"

Arielle followed Dean and Bobby to the kitchen, warily keeping her own distance from the men. She watched Bobby pull out three beers. She grabbed one when he held it out to her after opening it, chugging down half of the beer in one go. "Well, we got a thirsty one," Bobby commented, eyebrow raised. 'Don't think this idjit introduced us properly."

Dean opened his own bottle, sighing. "Sorry, Bobby. Had to deal with Sam first," he said, rubbing his eyes before taking a swig. "This is Arielle… uh," he stopped, looking at her.

"Milligan-Winchester," the young woman finished for him. "Mom legally changed it when I met dad."

"That son of a bitch," Bobby murmured and then took a deep drink himself. "He never told me," he added.

The eldest brother leaned against the table, eyes on the ground. "He didn't tell anyone," he said, sipping at his beer. "We would've never known if she hadn't called. Her mother was killed by a ghoul."

"Say sorry," Bobby said, tipping his bottle towards her. She nodded and finished off the beer in her hand. "'Nother?"

"Yea, thanks," she said and took the new beer when he offered it. "Are you our uncle?"

"More like surrogate daddy to these two jerks. I'm a buddy of your dad. Knew each other for a long time," Bobby stated as he leaned against the sink. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen. Can someone tell me what the hell is wrong with Sam?" she said, not wanting to delve into her personal story when there were important matters to deal with. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it has to do with him chomping down on that demon back there, but why in the hell would he do that?"

"He thinks he can save the world," Dean replied, a bitter tone in his voice as he set his beer down. "That thing he did to Amelia? Pulling out the demon? That's Sammy's power. He can do things, with his mind. But he needs demon blood for it. It makes him stronger."

"Back up a bit," Arielle said. "Saving the world and super powers? Why would he need that when you already know how to kill monsters and demons?"

Bobby gave a small sigh. "Sam is aiming a little higher," he explained. "We got the apocalypse on our hands."

Arielle blinked, her eyes going between Dean and Bobby. "Apocalypse. _The_ apocalypse? Four horseman, fire from the sky, end of the world. That whole shebang?"

"That's the one," Bobby said with a nod. "Our boy Dean is said to be the vessel of Michael. You heard of that angel right?" Arielle gave a slight nod. "Well, Sam is Lucifer's vessel and the two are supposed to have themselves a mighty good showdown."

"I'm gonna go check on Sammy," Dean said abruptly, placing his beer on the table and walking out of the room. They watching him go, his heavy steps echoing away.

"He's a bit sensitive about that part," Bobby sighed, taking a seat at the table. Arielle joined him, thoughtfully looking at her beer. "Did you know?" Arielle looked up at him, head tilted. "About monsters, ghosts, demons. Before meeting these two?"

The blonde gave a nod. "Minus the demons, yea. John took me to a few jobs. First time tangoing with a demon was with these two, though," she explained. "I met an angel, too."

"Castiel," Bobby said knowingly. "He's a strange one."

"I don't like him," she muttered, thinking of Jimmy and what Castiel warned him about. "He doesn't care about humans."

"Yea, well, they got a pretty one-track mind sometimes," Bobby commented with a shrug. "He means well, in his own awkward way."

Arielle pushed the chair back, picking up her beer. "I guess. Mind if I get some fresh air? Walk around the place?"

Bobby gave her a smile. "Go right ahead," he responded. "_Mi casa es su casa_." Arielle cracked a smile as well and exited, just as Dean walked back into the kitchen. Without a word the girl stepped out into the night. The rain had subsided to an almost indiscernible drizzle. Beer in hand, she walked around the maze of cars, the moonlight guiding her.

She found herself in an open area, facing some woods, a good distance from the house. She gulped down the beer in one go and tossed the empty bottle into a wooded area. Exhaling sharply, she closed her eyes. "I've, uh, never done this before. But if you can hear me, Castiel, I'd really like to talk to you."

Her green eyes peeked through narrow slits. When she found no one before her, she shook her head and turned away, ready to head back to the house. A gasp escaped her lips when she almost bumped into a body. "Jimmy? Wait, no," she said as the man simply watched her. "Castiel."

"You prayed," he said, his eyes void of emotion. "Why did you call me?"

"I just… I need to know," she said, regaining her bearings. "Are you really keeping Jimmy as your vessel forever?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. Arielle's mouth fell open, and she tried formulating a response. When none came, she pressed her lips together, looking away.

"Can I… can I just talk to him one last time?" she asked softly. Castiel looked stunned. "Just five minutes."

"I don't know if I can do that," he replied, shaking his head. Arielle's face fell and she dropped her head. The angel watched her. "I can try," he finally said and he closed his eyes. The woman's eyes immediately snapped back to him, waiting expectantly.

The man stood silent until he suddenly gasped for air, blue eyes wide with surprise. "Arielle?"

"Jimmy?" she asked, stepping up to him and grabbing his hands. "Are you okay?" The man laughed bitterly, shaking his head.

"I had no choice," he said, tears coming to his eyes. "Amelia and Claire, are they safe?"

She nodded, trying to swallow the knot in her throat. "We, uh, set them up with fake papers. I have my own cellphone now and they have my number. Just in case," she explained, biting her lip. "I'm sorry."

"This isn't your fault," Jimmy said, squeezing her hands. A wince crossed his features. "Thank you. For everything. If you hadn't been around, I would've never seen my family again. You trusted me and – " he stopped abruptly, flinching again. "He's coming back. Promise you'll be safe, please. Promise – "

Arielle interrupted the man, releasing his hands and grasping his face instead. Her lips crashed onto his, her eyes shut tightly and causing tears to fall. She pulled away slowly and was met with the vacant gaze of Castiel.

"What is that?" the angel asked.

"A kiss," she said numbly. "Did you – did Jimmy feel that?"

Castiel tilted his head slightly, eyes on the sky. "Partly," he responded afterwards. "I believe I got most of it. It feels… strange." Arielle felt her anger flare.

She shoved the angel, hands turning into fists. "You couldn't give us five minutes?" she demanded and stepped towards him, shoving him again. "You have him for all fuckin' eternity and you couldn't give us five damn minutes?!" she yelled, giving a third and final push before turning away, her frame shivering.

"I don't understand," Castiel said.

"I can't trust Dean or Sam," she said through gritted teeth. "I lost my mother. I lost my father without even knowing it. I thought, maybe, Jimmy – " she cut herself off with a scoff, shaking her head. "You wouldn't understand. Just leave."

Arielle fiercely wiped her eyes and rubbed her palms over her face. When she turned back, she found Castiel gone. With a heavy heart, she headed back to the house.


	15. Chapter 15

Dean waited outside the house and stood from the stairs when Arielle came into view. He walked towards her, forehead creased. "You okay?"

"You know," she said quietly. "You keep asking that and I wonder if ask out of sincere worry or because you're down one man and can't afford to have another problem on your hands." She walked past him, not caring for an answer, and before she could set foot on the stairs, his arm pulled her back.

"You're my family," he started, his eyes piercing hers. "Of course I care." Arielle sighed, shaking her head. "Look, I know we haven't exactly been very welcoming towards you, especially me," he said, letting go of her arm and placing his hand on her shoulder. "But you're my blood. And that's what matters. When you took off with Cast – uh, Jimmy, I ain't going to lie, I was pissed."

A small chuckle escaped him and Arielle looked at him in surprise. "But after we talked, when you said why you did it, it sunk in that you were right. They'd go after the family sooner or later to get to Jimmy. And if we hadn't been there," he said, stopping and shaking his head at the thought. "You were smarter than us, and the fact you followed your gut like that, made me realize you're a true Winchester. Maybe a better one than Sam and I combined."

She nodded, giving him a tired smile before removing it from her features. "Castiel," she said suddenly, her eyes searching his. "What's his role in all this?"

Dean sighed at the mention of the angel, shaking his head now. "I thought he was on our side, wanting to stop the apocalypse, but after tonight… I'm not sure anymore," he stated as they walked up the stairs. They joined Bobby who sat reading behind a desk in the living room.

Arielle dropped onto the couch, sighing deeply. Bobby's eyes flicked towards her before flipping a page. "Catch some sleep while you can," Bobby suggested, closing the book and reaching for another one. "This life, it don't give you much of a chance to rest."

The young blonde decided to obey, laying down and resting her head on her arm. She couldn't imagine sleeping at a time like this, with Sam looked in a panic room and an angel running around in Jimmy's body. Without realizing it, though, she slipped into sleep and her soft breathing caught Dean's attention.

The older brother grabbed a blanket and gently spread it over Arielle. His green eyes studied her and with a sigh, he sat on an empty chair, guarding over her as she slept.

* * *

Arielle shot up from the couch, screams echoing throughout the house. She noticed Bobby and Dean seated on opposite sides of a desk, each holding a glass of whiskey. "Is he okay?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit.

"Withdrawals," Dean stated and her eyes widened in understanding. The demon blood apparently was more than just a power-booster. Her brother took a drink before offering the glass to her. The blonde stood, stretching before stepping to Dean and taking a swill. The whiskey burned its way down her throat, waking her up completely, and she handed the glass back before taming her tangled hair with her fingers. "How long is this gonna go on?" Dean directed to Bobby.

"Here, let me look it up in my demon-detox manual. Oh, wait," the man replied, his words drowning in sarcasm. "No one ever wrote one." His tone returned to normal frustration. "No telling how long it'll take. Hell, or if Sam will even live through it." Arielle caught sight of the whiskey bottle and motioned towards it. "Be my guest," Bobby said as he took his glass and held it out.

The young woman took the whiskey bottle and clinked it against his glass before taking a long swig. "Good stuff," she said with a grimace, wiping at her mouth with her sleeve.

"Definitely a Winchester," Bobby muttered under his breath as he sipped at his own whiskey. Dean gave a chuckle while Arielle gave Bobby a playful glare. His phone rang and he snatched it up, answering. "Hello. … Suck dirt and die, Rufus. You call me again, I'll kill you." Snapping the phone shut, Bobby returned to sipping at his glass.

"What's up with Rufus?" Dean asked.

"He knows," Bobby plainly stated.

And uncomfortable silence settled over them. "You guys eat yet?" she asked, trying to keep the mood from darkening further. The men shook their heads. "What a surprise. I would cook something, but your idea of cuisine sucks, Bobby. No offense." The old man huffed in indignation, though a hint of a smile peeked through. "Think I can round us up some basics. The grocery store ain't that far, I think."

She watched Dean dig into his pocket and he tossed the keys of the Impala to her. Bobby's look of surprise was a reflection of hers as she barely managed to catch them. "Not a scratch," he warned, trying to remain nonchalant. "And if you could fill 'er up, that'd help." Arielle simply stared at the keys, unable to move. Dean snapped his fingers and her eyes flew to him. "Oh, and pie."

"Pie?" she repeated, slowly putting down the whiskey bottle as she clutched the keys tighter. Sam's scream interrupted briefly and the trio cringed.

"Yea, pie," he said, licking his lips before taking another drink of whiskey. "Don't take too long." Arielle nodded and turned away, loosening her grip on the keys when she realized how hard they were digging into her palm.

Bobby's voice floated towards her as she reached the front door. "Well that's definitely something I thought I'd never witness."

The sound of a glass being set down was heard. "She's family," Dean replied simply. "I trust her."

The young woman felt her heart grow too big for her chest to contain. The sound of a cellphone ringing broke her out of her thoughts and she opened the door.

The last thing she heard was Bobby speaking. "I'm busy, you son of a bitch. This better be important."

Arielle was in the kitchen, humming in an attempt to drown out Sam's screams. Her trip to town had been faster than the two men expected and soon the air was filled with the scent of waffles, eggs and hash browns as she managed her way around the kitchen. Cutlery and dishes were set out on the table already and she served up breakfast, preparing the three plates on the table plus an extra one.

"Come and get it," she hollered towards the other room. It didn't take but a second for Bobby and Dean to appear in the kitchen, eagerly sitting at the table. "Gonna assume that reaction means you've been a while without a decent home-cooked meal," she said with a giggle. "Be back."

Before either could dig in, they snapped their attention to her and the extra plate. "I don't think he'll eat that," Dean said tensely. Arielle turned her head, not stopping from her set path.

"And probably not a good idea," Bobby added.

"Doesn't hurt to try," she said as the screams finally subsided. "Plus, you know I'm not defenseless." She left the room, heading straight to the panic room and opening the window. She found Sam lying on the bed, eyes wide as if he just realized where he was. "You okay?" she asked through the barred window.

Sam sat up and shook his head before placing it in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. "I don't think I can handle this," he said, his voice breaking. She bit her lip before unlocking the door and stepping it, shutting it behind her. He looked up at her, surprised. "Won't they be upset?"

Arielle shrugged and raised the plate up. "Can't have you starving," she answered and walked to Sam cautiously. "I can trust you, right?"

"I can't trust myself," he said softly, looking at the ground between his feet. Giving a soft sigh, she placed the plate beside him and kneeled, catching his eyes with her. "I'm sorry."

He grabbed her arm and as she stood to turn away, he wrapped his arm around her neck. She twisted her body slightly and using all her weight, she slammed her elbow into his solar plex. The air exploded out of his lungs and his grasp loosened enough for her to slide out quickly and pull out the gun she nestled on the small of her back. She walked backwards towards the door as he raised his hands. When he took a step towards her, she raised the gun and aimed at him.

"Come on, you won't shoot me," he said, hesitating before taking another step. She squeezed the trigger, firing a shot right in front of his feet. He jumped back and within moments, Dean and Bobby appeared at the door. "She's crazy!"

"Yea, says the guy that wanted to choke me," she scoffed as she finally reached the door and exited. Dean and Bobby shut the door after her and locked it.

"You alright?" Bobby asked, giving her a look over. She waved him away and nodded. "Told you it was a bad idea."

Arielle sighed and shook her head as the three headed back to the kitchen. "Yea, well, he's my brother too. I can't exactly just let him go hungry." The trio sat at the table and started in on their breakfast. Moments later, they were caught up in conversation and it didn't take long for the men to finish up any last morsel of food, requesting second and third servings.

When all plates were cleared, the young woman stood to clean up. "Hey, do me a favor, would ya?" Dean asked, pulling her away from the kitchen. "We're running low on some of the other basics. You know. Salt, holy water, spray paint. Think you can make another quick run for me into town?" Arielle looked at him, her suspicion perking up.

"Sure, no problem," she responded slowly. He placed the keys in her hand, grinning before turning and picking up the dishware himself. Arielle watched with a raised eyebrow as he got to washing dishes, whistling a tune. With a chuckle, the girl left the house and wondered when the last time Dean had actually cleaned anything was. Her features soon filled with worry, though, and she couldn't help but sigh. "What are you hiding from me, big brother?"


	16. Chapter 16

I'm sorry for the delay in updates! Spring break is here, but work is hectic. :(

A big shout-out to snn7b, who has taken the time to review on practically all the chapters! Much love!

* * *

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you willingly signed up to be the angels' bitch?" Bobby asked. Arielle sat beside Dean on the couch and the look her brother gave Bobby was anything but friendly. "I'm sorry," Bobby continued, the tone of empathy obviously fake. "You prefer 'sucker'? After everything you said about them, now you trust them?" Arielle shifted uncomfortably, unaware of exactly what "everything" was.

She had walked in mid-way through their conversation, pausing at the door when she first entered the house. Arielle knew Dean was trying to keep her from knowing something, and now she understood.

Her brother sighed and shook his head. "Come on, give me a little credit, Bobby," he replied, leaning his head back against the sofa. "I've never trusted them less. I mean, they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan."

"We're definitely related," she joked, trying to ease the tension and reaching out for a fist bump. He gave her a grin and knocked his own fist against hers. She stood and made a quick trip to the kitchen, her ears trained on their voices as she opened the fridge.

Bobby ignored her comment, shaking his head. "Then why in the hell did you- "

"Because what other option do I have?" Dean interrupted, rubbing his palms over his eyes. "It's either trust the angels or let Sammy trust a demon." Bobby grunted, lifting his hat to scratch at his head.

"I see your point."

Arielle came back, handing out beers to the two men. They gave a thankful nod as she popped open her bottle. She placed her drink to her lips but froze, lowering the bottle slowly. "You hear that?" she asked quietly.

Dean took a moment to reply. "Yeah." He stood, placing the beer on a nearby table. "That's a little too much nothing." The trio rushed to the panic room and threw open the window.

Sam lay on the floor, his body thrumming. Arielle immediately recognized it as a seizure. She made to open the door and found Dean's hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist, stopping her. "What if he's faking?"

"You really think he'd do that?" Arielle asked, shocked.

"I think he'd do anything," he responded.

The young woman was about to argue when Sam was suddenly lifted and slammed against one of the walls. "That ain't faking," Bobby stated and Arielle quickly unlocked the door. The two men pushed her aside and rushed to the younger brother, pinning him down to the cot. "We're going to have to tie him down for his own safety," Bobby said through clenched teeth as Sam convulsed on the cot. "Dean? You with me?"

Arielle watched her older brother, eyes blank as he looked at Sam. She stepped up and slapped him with just enough force to snap him out of it. "Dean! He's going to have another fit!" she warned, now helping them hold down his legs.

"Yeah, yeah," he finally responded, moving his jaw a bit. "Let's just get it over with."

* * *

The screams echoed throughout the house. The air was tense as the three stood around in the living room, mechanically sipping at their drinks. "I'm gonna ask one more time, "Bobby finally broke. Arielle's grip on the bottle tightened. "Are we absolutely sure we're doing the right thing?"

"Bobby, you saw what was happening to him down there," Dean argued, downing the last of the drink. "The demon blood is killing him."

"No, it isn't," Bobby said, shaking his head. "We are."

Dean and Arielle looked at him, eyes wide. "What?" Dean asked, though his tone was dangerously low.

"I'm sorry. I can't bite my tongue any longer," Bobby stated, setting his bottle down and locking eyes with Dean. "We're killing him. Keeping him locked up down there. This cold-turkey thing isn't working. If—if he doesn't get what he needs, soon, Sam's not gonna last much longer." Arielle's eyes volleyed between both men, and her body tensed in anticipation of Dean's actions.

"No," Dean finally responded. "I'm not giving him demon blood. I won't do it."

"And if he dies?" Arielle asked quietly.

He turned to her, eyes burning into her. "Then at least he dies human!" While all her body desired to cringe back from him, she stood her ground, not moving an inch. Dean finally turned away, downing his whole beer and slamming it onto a table. "I would die for him in a second, but I won't let him do this to himself. I can't. I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster." He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before abruptly standing. "I need a breather." With that, he left Bobby and Arielle in the living room.

"Balls," Bobby muttered, picking his drink back up and taking a swig.

"Amen," Arielle returned, collapsing onto the couch, an arm over her face. "You really don't think Sammy will make it outta this one?" she asked, moving her arm enough to catch Bobby's eyes.

The grave look on his face was more than she wanted. "I don't think any one of us will."


	17. Chapter 17

"How the hell did he get out?" Dean muttered as he studied the locked panic room before opening it and swinging the door open. Bobby peeked in, holding up a cold pack to his face. Arielle had insisted he use it.

"Maybe he had help," he answered, his eyes crawling all over the walls. "Room full of busted devil's traps."

Dean stepped into the room. "Demons?" he questioned, before his eyes darkened. "Ruby."

"That'd be my guess," Bobby said with a shrug.

Arielle walked up behind them, barely catching the last fragments of their conversation. She had swept the area with Dean's permission, in hopes Sam had maybe experienced problems with the car he took. No luck. "How did she even touch the door?" she asked the men and the slight jump of their shoulders made her grin.

Bobby gave her a glare before turning to Dean. "You think she's got the mojo?"

"I don't think so," he said, doubting his own words. "I don't know, man."

"Does it matter?" Arielle interrupted them again, walking into the panic room with Dean and standing between both of them. "How he got out isn't important. Where he went to is."

Dean pushed past her and Bobby. "Well, I'll tell you one thing," he said as the other two followed him down the hall. "At this point I hope he's with Ruby."

Bobby's eyes widened. "Why?"

"'Cause killing her is the next big item on my to-do list," he said as he looked about the living room.

Arielle reached into her jeans and pulled out the Impala keys. "I thought you were on call for angel duty," Bobby stated as Dean turned to his sister when she jangled the keys. She gave a little grin as he snatched them up.

"I am on call," he replied to Bobby, sliding on his jacket. "In my car, on my way to murder the bitch." Arielle didn't wait and quickly slid on her own jacket, following Dean. When he noticed her actions, he shook his head. "No way."

The young woman gave him a look. "What, you expect me to stay here while the only two living family members I have may end up dead at each other's hands? Doubtful." She crossed her arms as she watched him rub at his eyes. "Either you let me go with you, or I end up tailing you anyways. And trust me, I may have not been raised in the life, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve, thanks to my pals at the university. My cop pals."

Bobby tried to hide a smirk as Dean exhaled sharply. "You really will make one helluva lawyer, kid," Dean grunted as he jerked his head for her to follow him.

"One thing," Bobby said suddenly.

"What?" Dean was beyond exasperated now.

"Sam don't wanna be found, which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find."

At this, Dean actually chuckled. "Yeah, we'll see." With that, the brother and sister left the house.

* * *

Arielle watched as Dean spoke to Bobby before hanging up, one hand on the steering wheel and the other rubbing his jaw. She looked out the window, hesitating, before allowing herself to speak. "He's right, you know. We have to this in a way that doesn't make us push him away."

"Yeah, so I'm being told. But," Dean shook his head suddenly, tossing the phone onto the dashboard. "Never mind."

A beep sounded from her cellphone and she pulled it out to find a message waiting. _I'm okay. Don't try looking for me. I'm sorry. _Sam's number was tagged at the end of the message. The blonde bit her lip, eyes rereading the message before flipping the phone close. "Dean, I know… I probably sound like a broken record, but I know I'm not fully part of the family you, Sam, and Bobby have created." He gave her a look and opened his mouth to speak, but Arielle raised a firm hand. "Yes, I know, you've said it already. You do care and you do see me as a sister now. But, I know it will never be what you and Sam have, and I'm okay with that. I am. I want you to know, though, that you _can _talk to me. About anything. You don't have to keep it all in, you know? And it'll stay between you and me. Attorney-client confidentiality," she said, with a playful wink.

Dean chuckled at the last part, shaking his head again. "I never was good with that whole being an open book. I mean, taking care of Sammy and all. I ain't complaining, I love the guy to death. But… I always had to play my cards close, ya know? So, I'm sorry I can't just spill my guts to you. But, thanks anyways."

"I think that was opening enough for now," she said after a pause, smiling at her older brother. "It'll get easier." With that, the two rode quietly as music floated from the radio.

It wasn't long before Bobby called them with more information and the duo corrected their course. Moments later, they were outside a hotel, crouched around a corner. Dean squatted before her and Arielle watched their backs to prevent being snuck up on. When her brother stood, she followed quickly and after he picked the lock, the siblings walked into a honeymoon suite. A dark-haired woman stood in the middle of the room, smoothing down her shirt.

"Oh," she managed to say, before Dean tackled her to the ground. Arielle didn't waste time, pulling out a spray can and painting the symbol Bobby and Dean had taught her at the house. She was halfway done when Dean crashed into her.

"Fuck," she groaned, pushing her brother off to see her work smeared. "That won't hold will it?" Dean paid no heed as he rushed at the demon again. Arielle started quickly again in a new spot. Just as she was about to finish, the door behind them opened.

Pulling out her blessed gun, she pointed it at the intruder. "Sam?" Her brother didn't bother looking at her as he launched himself between Ruby and Dean. Arielle put the finishing touch on the devil's trap and stood aside, her heart now racing. She had hoped they'd be able to pull this off before anyone showed up, especially Sam.

"No," Sam said, pointing at Dean. "Just take it easy." He had Ruby behind her now and Dean's burning eyes were on her. Arielle quietly stepped up behind him, her eyes measuring up the demon.

"Well, it must've been some party you two had going, considering how hard you tried to keep me from crashing it. Well, solid try, but here I am," Dean said, throwing his arms out before letting them fall to his side.

Sam took a step, but didn't let Ruby out of his arm's reach. "Dean, I'm glad you're here. Look, let's just talk about this."

Arielle placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, but he shrugged it off, pointing at Ruby. "Soon as she's dead, we can talk all you want." The young woman shook her head, sighing and knowing how Sam would react.

"Ruby, get out of here," Sam said in a steady tone. Dean tensed up and Arielle placed both hands on his shoulders now. He didn't react to her touch.

"No," he stated, his hands in fists. "She's not going anywhere." Ruby looked between the trio before slowly exiting the room, avoiding the devil's trap and closing the door behind her. "She's poison, Sam."

The sister thought about following the demon, questioning it herself, but she knew leaving her brothers alone could lead to disaster. "It's not what you think, Dean."

"Look what she did to you," Dean almost roared. "I mean, she up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaves you cracking out for another hit- "

"She was looking for Lilith," Sam defended, throwing his hands in the air.

"That's French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday," Dean retorted, crossing his arms. Arielle knew he was holding back, a lot.

"You're wrong, Dean," Sam said, shaking his head now.

Dean took a step to his brother now, his eyes pleading. Arielle stayed behind, watching them. She hadn't lost the fact Sam was still holding onto the knife he had pried from Dean's hands when he was fighting Ruby. "Sam, you're lying to yourself. I just want you to be okay. You would do the same for me. You know you would."

"Just listen," Sam returned, raising his hand. He finally noticed the knife, flushing before tossing the knife onto the bed. "Just listen for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, Dean. Arielle, you too," he said, finally turning to his sister. "We'll do this together."

"That sounds great," Dean said, clapping his hands. "As long as it's you, me, and Arielle. Demon bitch is a deal-breaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now." Arielle saw the truth in Sam's face before the response came.

"I can't," he said after a moment's pause. Dean gave a scoff, nodding as he turned away. Sam pleaded with his brother. "Dean, I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean."

Dean pivoted at this. Arielle saw the shift in his features and tensed up. This would be going south fast. "No, you're not the one who's gonna do this."

"Right, that's right," Sam laughed, his eyes now darkening. "I forgot. The angels think it's you."

"You don't think I can?" Dean challenged.

"No, you can't," was Sam's immediate reply. "You're not strong enough."

Arielle stepped between them. "Hey, look. Come on, guys," she started, but both men pushed her to the side. She bit her lip as she watched them step up to each other.

"And who the hell are you?" Dean asked, snarling.

"I'm being practical here," Sam stated. "I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Yeah? You're not gonna do a single damn thing," Dean remarked, giving Sam's chest a hard poke.

"Stop bossing me around, Dean," Sam finally exploded, his features turning red. "Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you're my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me!"

Dean shook his head. "No," he said, his voice unusually quiet now. "You don't know what you're doing, Sam."

"Yes, I do."

"The that's worse," Dean countered, his eyes falling away.

"Why?" Sam asked, perplexed. "Look, I'm telling you- "

"Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are!" Dean interrupted, his eyes going back to his brother. Arielle knew what was coming. "It means- " The young woman cringed as Dean managed to catch himself.

Sam knew too. He straightened his shoulders. "What? No. Say it?" he demanded of his brother, his eyes acquiring that glassy state.

Dean dropped his head before any could catch the tears in his own eyes. "It means you're a monster."

Arielle closed her eyes. The one thing Bobby had asked him not to do is exactly what had occurred in less than half an hour. When she opened her green eyes, she saw Sam's arm pulled back. Before she could open her mouth, his fist landed on Dean's jaw. The eldest Winchester fell down, hard.

Everything went silent. Dean slowly stood to his feet and watched Sam. Arielle prayed to all the gods that he would get a grip. When Dean's own fist landed on Sam, she knew it had all gone to hell. She knew better than to interfere as they rolled around the floor before standing and throwing hits at each other. Anything that could break, did. Arielle stayed glued to a corner, watching as new cuts and future bruises were created. It wasn't hard to see Sam was dominating the fight and soon he knocked Dean down. The older brother didn't move.

Even with that, Sam pinned him down to the ground. Arielle's eyes went wide as she saw him choking him, while Dean just lay there. She couldn't let him. "Sammy!" she screamed, sprinting to him and yanking his arm. It was like pulling at a tree trunk. "You're killing him!" That seemed to snap him out of it and he stood quickly, breathing heavily.

"You don't know me," he said to the now wheezing Dean. "You never did. And you never will." Arielle's wide eyes watched him walk towards the door.

"You walk out that door, don't you ever come back," Dean managed to say. Arielle helped him sit up, her eyes going between the two men. Sam stopped at the door upon hearing his words. He gave a single look back before opening the door and leaving. Arielle bit her lip as she helped Dean to unsteady legs.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently, draping his arm around her shoulders.

"Just dandy," he snapped, before giving her an apologetic look and patting her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm fine. Don't think I've ever been crushed by Sammy before."

Arielle gave him a pointed look. "As if you were actually fighting," she said, rolling her eyes as they exited the hotel and approached the Impala. Dean was about to fight it. "Shut up and save your energy. He gave you a hell of a beating." She lowered him into the passenger's seat and fished the keys from his pocket. Shutting the door, she stood still for a moment, taking a deep breath before going to the driver's side and getting in. "Dean?"

"Yeah?" he asked, ready to doze off to sleep.

"You don't mean it, do you?" she asked, hesitating before continuing. "About Sammy being a monster?" His silence was unpleasant and she felt her own eyes tear up. Sam had been the first to embrace her fully as his blood, and while she now cared about her brothers equally, it still felt worse knowing it was Sam. "Never mind. Don't answer." Turning on the car, she led them away from the hotel and back to Bobby's.


	18. Chapter 18

It was difficult to watch Dean mulling over whatever dark thoughts floated in his head. During her short time with the boys, she'd seen many sides of Dean. This one worried her the most. "Dean?" Bobby called out. "Dean! You listen to a word I said?"

Bobby had been trying to imply the importance of family, of sticking together, especially now with that the apocalypse was nigh. "Yeah, I heard you," Dean responded, crossing his arms. "I'm not calling him." He stood away from Arielle and Bobby, staring out the window. His sister lay on the couch and Bobby took a step, standing behind Dean.

"Don't make me get my gun, boy," Bobby threatened, though they all knew he would do no such thing. Arielle sat up, toying with the phone in her pocket. She'd been thinking about texting Sam back, asking him to let her help. She rejected the idea after realizing how bad Dean was doing.

"We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon. Don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?" Dean stated, finally turning to his surrogate father.

Bobby locked his eyes on him. "I know you're pissed," he started again. "And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your- "

"Blood? He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say?" Dean challenged. Arielle stood now, slightly pulling Bobby away. She bit her lip, turning her own eyes towards Dean.

"He's our brother. And I don't think he knows he's drowning," she said softly.

The eldest Winchester went back to staring at the window, and though his arms were crossed, Arielle saw his hands were fists. "I tried to help him, I did. You both saw what happened."

"So try again," Bobby interjected, his tone still firm.

"It's too late," Dean replied evenly.

Arielle knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "There's no such thing."

"No, dammit," Dean roared, fully turning to face them now. "I gotta face the facts." Arielle held her ground, though she saw the red flush travelling upwards from his neck, the veins growing as his eyes focused on her and Bobby. "Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again." He dropped onto the couch, arms still crossed as he exhaled sharply. "Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants."

His sister took a seat beside him, pausing before setting her hand on his shoulder. When his eyes turned to her, she shook her head. "You don't mean that," Arielle said.

His gaze never flinched. "Yes, I do. Sam's gone. He's gone," he stated, holding her gaze for a few more seconds before looking away. "I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was." Arielle sighed, green eyes turning to Bobby as the older man gave them his back. Arielle noticed his heaving shoulders and to her surprise, he swept his arms over his desk, sending books and papers flying everywhere.

Bobby turned to Dean, stomping towards him. Both Winchester siblings rose, bodies tense as one prepared to fight and the other to interfere. "You stupid, stupid son of a bitch!" Bobby screamed, getting up in Dean's face. "Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good?! Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!"

Dean stood his ground, never wincing. "I told him, 'You walk out that door, don't come back!' and he walked out anyway!" he returned, pointing to an imaginary exit. "That was his choice!"

"You sound like a whiny brat," Bobby started up again. "No, you sound like your dad." At this, even Arielle's temper began rising. "Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward."

"My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?" Dean said through gritted teeth.

Bobby gave a sharp nod. "He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. Well, that don't strike me as brave," he continued, before pointing his chin at Arielle. "He kept her hidden from us, and when they fell out, he didn't reach out either. You can't call that anything _but_ cowardly. And you are a better man than your daddy ever was, Dean. So you do us both a favor. Don't be him." Arielle looked away now, feeling as if she was punched in the gut after Bobby's little speech. It was true. He hadn't reached out, after she decided to cut him out. Not once. "D-Dean?"

The blonde's head jerked up at the confused tone in Bobby's voice. Her eyes widened when the spot Dean was standing in three seconds ago was empty. Arielle and Bobby looked at each other. "What the hell?" Bobby muttered, numbly walking into the area Dean had occupied.

"Angel duty," Arielle muttered after some seconds, slamming a fist onto the couch before digging through the cushions. "Bobby, it's started. We need to find Sam, _now_. I don't think the angel's will make it possible for us to find Dean, but we got a shot at Sam, slim as it is. And if we find him, we still have a chance to stop this." She gave a relieved sigh when the Impala's keys jingled in her hand.

"Where you going?" Bobby asked as he headed to the kitchen. He was hoping like hell his contacts would come in handy. She quickly understood as she grabbed her jacket and slid it on.

"Research. We need to find out exactly where Lucifer is. If I got this right, there has to be a door opening to this world, kind of like the Devil's Gate you guys told me about. If we can find that, we can find Sam before he faces off with Lilith and help him stop her," she replied as she headed to the front door. "There can't be an apocalypse party without the guest of honor, right?"

* * *

The young woman's back ached and she stretched it out before pouring over the books again. "There has to be a connection," she muttered, flipping through pages as her eyes switched between them and the bright computer screen. "Sam is Lucifer, Dean is Michael, the seals are obviously keys to the prison, but where is the door?"

She felt her phone vibrate and Bobby's name came up on the screen. "Any luck?" he greeted as she held up the phone with a shoulder while typing in Lilith's name into a search system. "Sam ain't answering and I doubt Dean's in the coverage area anymore."

Arielle shook her head absentmindedly, going back to a book to examine an image. _Saint Michel terrassant le Dragon_ was the title, created by the artist Josse Lieferinxe. She blinked suddenly, pulling the book closer to her face, focusing on the Dragon's eyes. "Yellow. The yellow-eyed demon. What's his name again?"

"Azazel. What's he got to do with it? He's dead," Bobby stated and she could practically see the frown on his face. Her mind started making the connection, though, as she deleted Lilith's name and quickly typed in Azazel.

"Sam and Dean told me about him, how he was the one that started the family into the hunter's life. He started it all," she stated breathlessly, her eyes burning as she scanned link after link. "There has to be a connection, I know it." She cut off with a triumphant cry when an article caught her eye. Many would've called it another case of insanity, but she had picked up the boys' eye for the supernatural.

"What do you have?" Bobby asked and she heard him shuffling around his desk, a jangle of keys jarring in the line. Biting her lip, she skimmed through the article.

"St. Mary's. Eight nuns were killed there back in 1972. The priest who committed the murders said a demon possessed him and made him do it. He even gave a name – Azazel."

"I'll be damned," Bobby murmured as all fell quiet on his side. "Where- "

Arielle interrupted him before he could finish. "Bobby, I gotta go." Flipping her phone closed, she didn't bother with the books or computer. She stood and made a quick exit as the phone vibrated in her hand. An hour later, she had a map spread out on the trunk of the Impala and she traced out the distance between her and the appointed nunnery. "Shit!"

It would take her more than a day to get there, if she didn't sleep at all. She had a feeling her time was running short and this show would be on the road long before she even got halfway there. Looking at her phone, she saw the dozens of missed calls from Bobby and ignored them to check the time. An hour until midnight. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she muttered, pacing as she tried to figure out a way to get there faster. She froze, her eyes going up to the sky. "Fuck." Taking a breath, she closed her eyes. "Castiel, I know you can hear me. I need your help. My brothers need your help. Stop being a fuckin' puppet to those assholes upstairs and _help us_."

Her eyes stayed shut, afraid that the space before her would be empty when she opened them. "Do you plan on saying more in that prayer?" his deep voice came and her eyes snapped open. She let out the breath she was holding, her hand landing on her heart.

"Christ, I wasn't sure that was going to work," she confessed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Please, I need your help. I need to get to St. Mary's." The surprised look on Castiel's face was something new to her.

"How did you know about the convent?"

"I'm good at what I do. Are you going to help me or not? There's still time to stop this, Castiel, to save Sam and Dean from this crap destiny they want to push onto them. I don't know what you've been through up there. I won't pretend to know. But you've seen what Sam and Dean have gone through, what they've lost," Arielle pleaded to the angel. "You can't let those assholes do this. They're all they have."

"Don't you count?" Castiel answered suddenly. "You will be killed for interfering."

Arielle blinked, taken aback at his quick response, before hanging her head. "Castiel, I'm alone. Dean and Sam are the only family I have, half-brothers at that. I know it will be a lifetime before I truly become a member of their family. And I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with is standing by and watching them be torn apart, though. This short time with them, I've seen the lengths they go through to protect each other. They'd never admit just how much they love each other, but it's so obvious to everyone around them. I know that feeling, I had that. I may never have it again, but they can. And I'm not letting some goddamn yuppies with wings destroy that!"

The angel stood silent, his eyes on the ground. Arielle opened her mouth to curse him when his blue eyes finally looked up at her. The words died in her throat and she felt her heart race. She couldn't hold his gaze and turned away, but when she got a hold of herself and faced him again, he was gone. "Goddamn it, Castiel!" she hollered, thumping her fists on the trunk. Her head fall into her hands as she rested her elbows on the car. After some minutes she gave a scream, crushing the map in her hands, imagining it was the brunette's head instead. She grinded her teeth and threw the crumpled paper as far as she could, shoulders heaving as tears burned at her eyes. Using the back of her hand, she wiped at them furiously.

"Are you done?"

She jumped, a different scream escaping her lips this time around. "Fuckin' shit! Can you _not_ do that?!" she cried, though a laugh followed it. "You gonna help then?" Castiel reached a hand out, but she jumped back. "Woah, woah. Question first." She gave him a sheepish grin, casting her eyes at the Impala. "Can baby come?"

Somehow, Castiel had helped transport her and the car a mile or so away from the convent. After securing her gun and two freshly blessed clips, she slunk through the shadows as she kept an eye on the time. Something inside her warned she was cutting it awful close, but she kept a steady pace. There would be guards, obviously, demons protecting Lilith.

The convent entrance was empty and it made Arielle's suspicious rise. Stepping through the halls, she kept her back to the wall as she quickly rounded corner after corner. Commotion caught her ear and she headed towards it, her senses on high alert.

The next turn brought her face to face to Dean.

"What the hell?"

"What are you doing here?"

Stopping, a single word came out of their mouths in a chorus. "Castiel."

The sound of a scream made them turn towards the end of the hall and they saw a sanctuary. Sam, Ruby and Lilith were inside. Both siblings raced towards Sam and neither missed the smile Ruby gave them as she extended a hand and slammed the doors shut. "Sam!" Dean shouted, banging on the door. "Don't do it, Sam! Don't kill her!"

Arielle looked taken aback. "What? Why shouldn't he?"

"She's the seal. She dies, Lucifer takes a walk," Dean explained quickly as he banged on the doors harder. "Sam!" The blonde's green eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. Everything – Mary's death, Azazel feeding demon blood to the children, Lilith's rampage, the angels' interferences – everything led to this moment. Soon, she was pounding on the door with Dean, screaming Sam's name. Dean grabbed a candelabra and hammered it against the door.

"This is getting us nowhere," she said, chest heaving. "Fuck it." She took a step back, pulling at Dean's jacket. "Kick." The siblings simultaneously kicked at the door, finally breaking it down. Arielle drew her gun while Dean pulled out the knife Ruby gave them.

The demon grinned. "You're too late."

"I don't care," Dean replied. Sam, who was on the ground, stood suddenly and grabbed Ruby from behind, holding her in place as Dean stabbed her. The demon fell to the ground, the grin never leaving her face.

Sam clutched at his head, slightly stumbling before looking up. "I'm sorry," he choked out to his brother. The trio notice the blood pattern complete, and a blinding light explodes from the center of it. The ground trembled, glass shattering as the walls began to crumble.

Arielle quickly went to the opposite side of Sam, placing his arm around her shoulder to keep him steady. She watched his frightened eyes focus on the light. "Sammy, let's go!" Dean shouted, grabbing Sam's jacket. The rumble of the earth grew.

"Dean… he's coming."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hello! I just wanted to give y'all a huge thanks for all the reviews & follows & favorites! It's kind of strange for me, but I'm still grateful! Here's an extra long one since I'm not sure if I'll have time to update during the weekend. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Arielle opened her eyes first, colored visions dancing before her eyes as they adjusted to a dimmer light. She lowered her arms, green eyes wide as she examined her surroundings. "Guys," she called out when she noticed she sat between them. "Don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Their eyes opened slowly, blinking to accustom their sight to the new lighting.

The nunnery's sanctuary they had been crouching in was replaced with a airplane's cabin. Undisturbed passengers continued with the monotony of flying. An old cartoon starring Yosemite Sam and a red devil played out before them, ignored by all. The trio uncurled from their protective fetal position, sitting up straight. "What the hell?" Dean muttered as his eyes scanned every face he could catch in hopes of seeing any type of reaction at their sudden appearance.

"I don't know," Sam replied, shaking his head slowly as he buckled his seatbelt, Dean imitating him. The last thing any of them recalled was trying to leave the sanctuary as the light coming from the blood pattern grew brighter and brighter until –

An overhead voice interrupted them. "Folks, quick word from the flight deck," the pilot stated as the sound of chewing subtly seeped through. "We're just passing over Ilchester, then Ellicott City, on our initial descent into Baltimore – "

"Ilchester?" Dean echoed, his eyes going to Arielle and Sam. "Weren't we just there?"

"So we're still in Kansas, Dorothy, but how the hell did we get up here?" Arielle sighed, frustration etched onto her features.

"If you'd like to stretch your legs," they heard the pilot continue, "now would be a good time to – " An intense column of light shot out from the land below. "Holy crap!" Shock waves sent the plane off course and those who had unbuckled their seatbelts were thrown out of their seats.

Arielle felt Sam and Dean clamp down on her to keep her from flying off. Shrieks filled the air as oxygen masks dropped before every seat. The blonde quickly tied herself down before imitating her brothers and placing the mask on. The light outside grew even brighter and the high-pitched noise they heard in the sanctuary returned full force. Another wave hit them and Arielle's hands shot out, grabbing hold of Sam and Dean's hands. The trio's eyes were glued to the tiny airplane window, full of terror, as the plane shook like a rattle in a baby's hands.

* * *

They rode quietly, the radio spewing out news on natural disasters. Arielle notified the brothers about the Impala being at the convent and they had hitched a ride back to Ilchester when they touched down in Baltimore. A hotel room was the next step, deciding it'd be better to stay in Baltimore. After giving Bobby their location, they headed back to the main city.

Only the radio filled the dead air. "Governor O'Malley urged calm," a woman stated in a serious tone, "saying it's very unlikely an abandoned convent would be a target for terrorists, either foreign or homegrown."

"Change the station," Dean muttered and Sam readily obeyed, pressing the seek button and flipping through the radio, reports of natural disasters and sudden plagues playing back on each station. Sam shut it off completely, sinking into his seat.

"Dean, look – " Sam began.

The oldest Winchester raised a hand, shaking his head. "Don't say anything," he sighed, his hand going back to the steering wheel. His knuckles were white as he drove. "It's okay. We just got to keep our heads down and hash this out, alright?"

"Yeah, okay," Same said, dejected.

"Now that we've dealt with that so eloquently," Arielle said with an eye-roll, knowing this bomb would explode sooner or later, "first thing's first – who beamed us up, Scotty?"

"Angels, maybe?" Sam offered, running a hand through his hair, glad the silence wouldn't continue uninterrupted. "I mean, you know, beaming us out of harm's way?"

"You two I'd understand," Arielle said with a slight nod, though her forehead creased. "But me? I'm not a vessel or an ally or anything. Why me?"

"Whatever. It's the least of our worries," Dean interrupted as his hand reached out to the radio. "We need to find Cas." He flipped the radio on, popping in a tape to avoid the newscast. He drove on and Arielle simply sat back, arms crossed. Unaware she was doing it, she dozed off.

When she came to, the Impala was cruising up to a destroyed house. The trio exited the car and entered the home, carefully feeling their way about. As they walked further into the home, a sudden noise caused all three to turn, defenses up. Nothing appeared and they continued to explore the wreckage. A shadow jumped out suddenly and Sam cried out. "Geez! Ow!" He held a hand to his head. Reacting, Arielle pulled her gun out and centered it firmly on the man holding a toilet plunger.

"Sam," the figure said as Dean placed a hand on Arielle's gun, motioning for her to put it away.

"Yeah!" Sam replied with a scoff, rubbing at the back of his head. Dean joined Sam, his eyes on the man.

"Hey Chuck."

"So… you're okay?" Chuck asked, scratching at his neck. Arielle stepped up now, arms crossed over her chest. The man spared her a glance before doing a double take, eyes wide. "You. You should be dead," he said, taking a faltering step back.

Sam and Dean turned to Arielle. Her mouth hung open at the man's words. "Excuse me?" she finally said, reaching for her gun again. Dean stopped her giving her a look. "That sounded like a threat. Didn't it sound like a threat to you?"

"Chill," he commanded, before turning to Chuck. "Vision?" The man nodded, his eyes still on the blonde woman before him. "What about Sam?"

"I'm okay," Sam replied. "My head just hurts now."

Chuck placed the plunger down, scratching at his neck again. "My last vision. You went, like, full-on Vader." Sam shifted uncomfortably, his gaze on the floor. "Your body temperature was one-fifty. Your heart rate was two hundred. Your eyes were black."

Dean started, turning to Sam. "Your eyes went black?"

Sam kept his eyes on the floor. Arielle felt a pang of sadness, not even capable of imaging what Sam felt at the moment. "I didn't know."

Dean made no comment and simply returned his sight to Chuck. "Where's Cas?"

"He's dead," he blatantly stated. "Or gone. The archangel smote the crap out of him. I'm sorry."

"You sure?" Dean insisted now, his eyes reflecting the need to disbelieve him. "I mean, maybe he just vanished into the light or something."

"Oh, no. He, like, exploded," Chuck continued, making a motion with his hands. "Like a water balloon of chunky soup." Sam leaned forward suddenly.

Waving a hand around his own left ear, Sam cleared his throat. "You got a – "

Chuck lifted his own hand, pawing at the right side of his head. "Uh… right here?" Sam coughed, motioning to the other side. "Oh." His eyes widened as he pulled at something. "Oh, god." He brought it to his face, his features losing color. "Is that a molar?" The Winchester siblings looked away, Arielle placing the back of her hand to her mouth. "Do I have a _molar_ in my hair? This has been a really stressful day."

"Cas, you stupid bastard," Dean sighed, closing his eyes and giving a heavy sigh.

"Stupid?" Sam questioned, his eyes landing on Dean. "He was trying to help us."

"Yeah, exactly," Dean replied as they all wandered towards what used to be the living room.

"What now?" Arielle asked, hands on her hips.

Dean shook his head. "I don't know."

Chuck stood up straight suddenly, his body tensing. "Oh, crap."

The trio looked at him. "What?" Sam asked.

"I can feel them," Chuck stuttered, grabbing at the plunger again.

"Thought we'd find you here," a voice called out. The group turned to find three men in suits waiting for them. "Playtime's over, Dean. Time to come with us."

Arielle's hand went to the small of her back, keeping her movements slow. She remembered then it was a blessed gun and figuring it would do no good, she let her hand drop to her side. "Lemme guess. Heaven's yuppies?"

"You just keep your distance, asshat," Dean warned.

The leader placed his hands behind his back, pacing lightly. "I will get to you later, young lady. You shouldn't be alive," he said, eyeing Arielle before going back to Dean. Sam instinctively placed Arielle behind him, even though the girl wanted nothing more than to go up and punch the lights out of the bastard. "You're upset."

"Yeah, Zachariah. A little. You sons of bitches jump-started judgment day!" Dean growled, his eyes narrowing.

Zachariah shrugged his shoulders and made a motion with his hand. "Maybe we let it happen," he said, raising a single finger. "We didn't start anything." The man smiled, turning to the other Winchester brother. "Right, Sammy?" The man dropped him a wink. Arielle made to lunge at him, but Sam held her back, his gaze dropping away from Zachariah. "You had a chance to stop your brother, and you couldn't. So let's not quibble over who started what. "Let's just say it was all our faults and move on. 'Cause like it or not," he said, halting the pacing and raising both hands. "It's Apocalypse Now." Arielle couldn't help the scowl on her features, which Zachariah easily ignored. "And we're back on the same team again!" he finished with a clap and a wide smile.

"Is that so?" Dean asked in sarcasm.

"You want to kill the devil," Zachariah explained, pointing at the group then at himself and his own men. "We want to kill the devil. It's… synergy."

"And I'm supposed to trust you?" Dean scoffed, a fierce grin on his face. "Cram it with walnuts, ugly."

Zachariah sighed, rubbing his eyes. "This isn't a game, son," he started again. "Lucifer is powerful in ways that defy description. We need to strike now, hard and fast – before he finds his vessel."

"His vessel? Lucifer needs a meat suit?" Sam asked. Arielle looked at the back of his head, surprised he wasn't aware of this. She looked at Dean with a raised eyebrow and, having caught her look, he gave a slight shake of the head.

"He is an angel. Them's the rules," Zachariah said with a plastic smile. "And when he touches down, we're talking Four Horseman, red oceans, fiery skies, the greatest hits!" His eyes shifted to his main objective. "You can stop him, Dean, but you need our help."

Dean snarled, taking a step forward. "You listen to me, you two-faced douche," he growled, his hands turning into fists. "After what you did, I don't want jack squat from you!"

Zachariah's composed visage contorted in rage. "You listen to me, boy! You think you can rebel against us? As Lucifer did?" A bright color caught the angel's eyes, his sight now focused on Dean's hand. "You're bleeding."

Dean grinned now, raising his hand. "Oh, yeah – a little insurance policy in case you dicks showed up." With that, he pushed a door, revealing a sigil Arielle never noticed he drew. He slapped his hand against it.

"No!" Zachariah screamed, aiming to grab at Dean and missing, vanishing instead in a white flash. Dean looked back and noticed the angel bodyguards were missing too.

"Learned that from my friend Cas, you son of a bitch," Dean stated, his voice low and deep. Arielle took a breath, stepping back from Sam who let her move.

Chuck slumped to the floor. "This sucks ass."

* * *

Arielle and Dean sat on the beds, cleaning out their weapons. Dean loaded a gun just as Sam entered the room. "Hey," the oldest Winchester greeted.

"Hey," Sam echoed, reaching into his shirt. He tossed his siblings bags and they reflexively caught them, examining the bundles. Arielle lifted it to her nose, inhaling the smell of dirt, herbs, and something else she couldn't quite place. "Hex bags," he explained, getting a beer from the mini fridge in the hotel room. "No way the angels will find us with those. Demons, either, for that matter."

"Where'd you get them?" Arielle asked, her eyes going back to her brother.

The pride in his eyes was hard to miss. "I made it."

"How?" Dean asked.

Sam's demeanor quickly fell, and a flush covered his face. "I… well, I learned it from Ruby." Arielle gave him a sympathetic luck as Dean put the gun down and stood, approaching Sam.

His tone of voice didn't change a bit, though Arielle knew it was still a raw subject to touch. "Speaking of," Dean said, his eyes searching Sam. "How you doing? Are you jonesing for another hit of bitch blood or what?"

Arielle couldn't help but roll her eyes as Sam shook his head. "I – it's weird. Uh, tell you the truth, I'm fine. No shakes, no fever. It's like whoever put me on that plane cleaned me right up."

"Supernatural methadone," Arielle piped up, giving him a goofy smile in an attempt to cheer him up.

"Yeah," he said with a slight chuckle. "Yeah, I guess." Sam paused, his eyes on the wall before turning and placing his beer on a table. "Dean – "

"Sam," the other replied, turning away. Arielle gave him a warning look and Dean stayed in his place. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

Sam gave a harsh chuckle, a bitter smile on his face. "Well, that's good. Because what can I even say? 'I'm sorry'? 'I screwed up'? Doesn't really do it justice, you know?" He ran both hands through his hair before continuing. "Look, there's nothing I can do or say that will ever make this right – "

Dean pivoted towards him. "So why do you keep bringing it up?!" he asked, his voice rising in volume. At this Arielle stood and clamped a hand on Dean. When his eyes met hers, he exhaled slowly before facing Sam again. "Look, all I'm saying is, why do we have to put this under a microscope? We made a mess. We clean it up. That's it." Arielle let go of Dean's shoulder as Sam nodded. She went back to the bed and continued cleaning and reassembling the blessed gun, her sharp green eyes still keeping a fixed sight on Dean. "Alright, so, say this is just any other hunt. You know? What do we do first?"

"We, uh, figure out where the thing is," Sam replied quietly.

"Alright," Dean said, clapping his hands. "So we just got to find… the devil." His hands dropped to his side as he returned to his bed, picking up where he left off. Sam stood for a few seconds before taking a seat at the table and opening his laptop.

Arielle finished with her gun and set it on the nightstand. Catching Dean's eye, she motioned for him towards the door. The man cleared his throat and quickly reassembled his gun before letting it join Arielle's on the stand. "I'm starved. I'll get us some food," he said, grabbing the keys and heading towards the door. "Want anything in particular?"

"Something with double everything – meat, cheese, bacon," Arielle ticked off on her hand, her eyes on the ceiling. "Oh, and supersize everything for me. Oh, and a chocolate shake. And a slice of pie." The brothers looked at her, foreheads creased. "What?"

They both shook their heads simultaneously. "I just… where the hell does it all go?" Dean asked in awe as his eyes looked her up and down. She stood up, letting out a laugh.

"Well I know yours goes to your stomach, flabby," she said, poking his belly. Dean turned red and sucked it in. "I'm kidding, idiot. Food. Now. Mentioning all that made me realize I'm starved. What kind of brothers leave their poor sister without food?" She placed a hand on her forehead in a fake faint, leaning up against Sammy's back who still sat before his laptop.

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'll be back." He exited and soon the rumble of the Impala's engine was heard fading away. Arielle turned, placing her crossed arms over Sammy's back and looking over his head at the screen. Research on the different lore of Lucifer peppered the screen.

Pulling herself up, she grabbed a chair and sat, gently closing the laptop. Sam looked at her and she could see his eyes were red. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked in a soft voice. "I know Dean isn't exactly Mr. Open Book, and I can't say I'm a perfect listener – I kinda talk a lot, I realized – but I want to help." Sam gave a sigh, rubbing at his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"I fucked up big this time," he finally spoke, placing his hands on the table and keeping his eyes on them. "I don't think things will ever go back to how they were." Arielle placed a hand on Sam's, giving his fingers a gentle but firm squeeze. "And, obviously, we can't talk about it. He doesn't want to talk about it. He'll bottle it up until he lets it out in a fit."

"Well, it wasn't hard to see he was like that," Arielle noted, as she scratched at her arm absentmindedly. He looked up at her, gaze searching her features. "From the little you guys share, it's always been you two. Even when dad was alive, it doesn't seem you were very close to him. It doesn't mean you didn't love each other," she corrected when Sam's eyes went to his hands again. She assumed he was remembering leaving them to go to Stanford. "But, all Dean ever knew was life with you. And he doesn't seem to realize that you're no longer Sammy the kid, but Sam the Sasquatch. You're going to make your own way in life, make your own decisions. He needs to accept them, even if they do turn out to be mistakes. Hell, he ain't free of sin."

The familiar engine sound filled the air. "That didn't take him long," Sam said, his watery eyes going to her. "You made him leave, didn't you?" Arielle gave him a shy grin before reaching out and tousling his hair. Sam's eyes widened before he leaned back, chuckling and pulling her hand away from his hair. "This look takes time, sis."

She rolled her eyes as Dean walked through the door, carrying multiple bags. "Oh, please. I see how you just crawl out of bed, run your fingers through it, and call it a job well done," she commented, reaching out again with her free hand. Sam grabbed that too, and the pair was soon wrestling each other as Dean set the food down.

"Children, children!" he called over them, a genuine smile on his face now. "Dinner time."

Sam and Arielle settled down and expectantly looked at the bags. The young woman sneaked a peek at both of the boys as they ate, and she smiled when they started teasing each other. Taking another giant bite from her burger followed by a slurp from her milkshake, the blonde felt a small satisfaction, thinking maybe things didn't have to end like Sammy imagined. Slowly, a love for the men was growing inside her and even through all the downs they faced, she wanted nothing more than to bring them happiness, the way they had done for her after her mother's death.

She only hoped they lived long enough for her to accomplish this.


End file.
